U.S.A. AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 October 1945, Page 5

U.S.A. AFFAIRS

TALKS WITH BRITAIN. NEW YORK, Oct. 20. The British Ambassador to the United States (Lord Halifax) denied London reports that the British-Ame-rican financial negotiations ‘had reached a deadlock, but, he added, “we keep runnihg into difficulties.” It is learned that the negotiations entered a critical stage several days ago. Officials concerned will not venture to predict the outcome of the talks. (Rec. 11.58 a.m.) WASHINGTON, October 22. Lord Halifax, after visiting Mr. Byrnes, told reporters that he was “not too certain” that the British and American financial talks would be concluded satisfactorily. He said that he did not want to appear unduly pessimistic, but new difficulties kept arising throughout the six weeks conferences. These difficulties should not be underrated. Lord Halifax indicated •that the talks will be discontinued if no substantial agreement is reached .within a certain time limit. ATOMIC~ENERGY NEW YORK, October 21. The General Electric Company’s laboratories have developed a machine which creates matter from energy on a very small scale. The machine, in creating matter, at first speeds up the electron until it has nearly the velocity of light and its mass and weight are increased 250 times. Then it transforms the energy of the heavy electron into super X-rays of 100,000,000 volts, which transform themselves into positive and negative electrons. This is the reverse process to that of the atomic bomb.

The machine in one phase of its operations also changes matter into energy, but the result is not an uncontrolled explosive blast but a narrow penetrating beam of super-radia-tion whose properties are still being explored. It is found that this beam can destroy the uranium atom which is the active substance in the atom bomb. It transforms itself into electrons, creates artificial cosmic rays, and transmits elements through artificial radio-activity. The company’s, scientists say that/he device is by no stretch of imagination a counter to the atom bomb. The machine’s beam is extremely powerful at close range, but its intensity decreases rapidly with increasing distance. The machine also weighs 300 tons without auxiliary equipment, and is therefore not portable and not easily directable.