WAR NEWS

Grey River Argus, 15 February 1940, Page 3

WAR NEWS

GENERAL ITEMS. LONDON, February 13. The Minister of Labour (Mr Ernest Brown) handed representatives cf 31 unions, his proposals for Inicns.d.e.i efforts in the sh.pbu.ld ng and e iglaeering industries. A furth r c nz?ience is be.ng held when the unions have considered the propo aisi The Wool Controller (Mr ankleton) told the hosiery manufac. ures that they must be prepared for drastic restrctilns of civ.l wool sv.p.j.y. Only what was nbsolutc.’y nec ss i would be supplied, and th? manufac turers would not receive more if t 'c, used up their rations. He denied that rationing was unnecessary and reluc ed assertions that pre-war r se-ve. were adequate. The ccnsumpl o i at present, was 30 per cent, above Lie peak during the last war. He de.iiet: that the Wool Control was gurcy of profiteering. Actually no profits were being made. The Woo! Control ’was forced not only to buy the ration’s Wool, but to withstand losses, a?s ng from sinking ships. Two vessels sunk by the Graf Spee made large inroad on the mdSest ; allocation. The latest contribution to th? Lor i Mayor’s Red Cross Fund, now totalling £1,108,000, includes gifts of £29,000 from the Irish Red Cross and £lOO,OO from the Hong Kbng branch of the British War Organisation Fund. The King and Queen, Queen Mary, and members of the Royal Fam’ly have offered numerous articles, for sale for the fund; at Christie’s, in the spring. As the result of the announcement on January 17 of a new loan by way of conversion of the existing three hundred and' fifty million pounds four' and a half per cent, loan, actual ipplicat ons f >r conversion amounted to two . hundred and thirty-six millions, and for repayment' ninety-nine millions. The offer of January 17 whs to repay on July 1 ih cash, or if holders preferred, io g've them the option in the new conversion lorn ut par. Questioned in the Commons about. 'ln? it, t c m : n<; visit tj Eli; Ope of Mr Sumner Welles, the Prim;? Minister ‘aid: “I need hardly say that the British Government, for its part, will be reailv Io welcome the President’s representative, and to take him fully into its confidence, with the object of

assisting the President in T urning est mates of the present situat’on.’ ’ Eleven French naval correspondents, most of whom arrived in .London last night, will spend five days in England, as guests of the British Council. They will visit shore establishments and dockyards, and inspect the navy’s active work at sea. I BERNE,. February 13. | A decree forbids the export of all

war materials, except under special permit. CAPETOWN, February 13. The Assembly, after a long sitting, passed the second reading of the Emergency Powers Bill hv 79 votes, io 59.