U.S.A. AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 January 1944, Page 5

U.S.A. AFFAIRS

PREPARE AGAINST NEXT WAR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20

The next war is inevitable, therefore preparedness after this war is only the safeguard against aggression, 'said 'the Vice-President of the War Production Board, Mr, Charles Wilson, addressing the Army Ordance Association. “Instead of looking to disarmament as a safeguard, let us try the opposite, namely, full preparedness.” He urged the establishment of a permanent committee composed of Army and Navy officers and industrialists to continue Governmentsponsored post-war military research development. The nation would be appalled by the next war’s weapons, whose destructive power would be manifold and magnified, and the time to prepare adequate defence would, next time, be tragically shorter; perhaps there would be no time at an. To establish post-war military preparedness, we must integrate political, military and industrial activities, because we are in world politics to stay, whether we like it or not.” POST-WAR PROSPERITY (Recd 11.35) NEW YORK, Jan. 20. A House Committee to gather information on post-war industrial conversion, unemployment, public works new fields of enterprise, foreign trade and also to examine Federal statutes to discover, which are likely to retard and which are likely to aid post war reconstruction, will shortly be appointed, said Speaker Rayburn addressing the Mayors’ Conference at Chicago. , , Mr. Rayburn warned: It we bungle the post-war task there will be renewed demands for a centralised government. If we allow the depression spectre to arise again, say live or ten vears hence, people will look tor centralised leadership. The question is will they be fortunate to find another so great and so democratically minded as Mr. Roosevelt to lead them through the crisis, or will a man with an iron first seize control? Mr. Rayburn voiced the opinion that the best, wav is to perfect voluntary mobilisation of effort, gather essential information and make the same available to all concerned, thereby ensuring an unparalleled period of prosperity and happiness.

FIGHTING THE OIL TRUSTS (Rec. 11.35 a.m.) WASHINGTON, January 20. The establishment of a world-wide non-profit petroleum organisation, with its own oil wells, refineries and tanker fleet, was urged by Mr Howard Cowden, President of the Consumers’ Co-operative Associa; tion, addressing a conference on international ■ reconstruction. Mr Cowden believes that such an organisation could be of immense service with limitless possibilities, providing competition against oil cartels, which undoubtedly regarded the war as an interlude to the resumption of business as- usual.

JAPANESE TREACHERY (Recd. 11.15 a.m.) WASHINGTON, Januarq 20

Lieutenant-General De Witt, who supervised the removal of Japanese residents from the west coast area of the United States in 1942, reported that Japanese submarine attacks in that area in the early stages of the war .were aided by signals from the shore. He said that for several weeks after Pearl Harbour, enemy submarines attacked every ship leaving west coast ports. The removal of the Japanese resulted in the virtual elimination of the signals, and the reduction of submarine attacks. The submarines apparently knew the range of the coastal guns, and on one occasion a submarine surfaced and shelled the coast from the only position in which the coastal guns were unable to reach it. Japanese communities invariably flanked the west coast strategic installations, while there were no Japanese in the available nearby farming sections. It is difficult to explain this situation by coincidence alone.