ALLIED OIL TRANSPORT

Grey River Argus, 13 March 1940, Page 7

ALLIED OIL TRANSPORT

PLENTY OF TANKERS German Allegation Disproved (British Official Wireless.] (Received March 12, 5.5 P- m - ) RUGBY, March 11. According to the current number of the oil industry journal “ Petroleu h n J Press Service,” the position o Allies in respect of oil tankers is evidently highly satisfactory. The journal says: “At the beg.nning °£ ‘re war the British Empire and France possessed a combined tanker tonnage of 3580 thousands tons, excluding ves seis in Government hands, which may have accounted for a further half mi - lion tons. The carrying capacity oi this fleet of tankers was between five and six million tons of oil, and, on the conservative assumption of six round trips yearly, these vessels would be sufficient for the transport of well over thirty million tons yearly, against the normal consumption for the two countries of under twenty million tons annually. The carrying capacity Ox the Allied tanker fleet has, of course, been reduced by some losses since the outbreak, but, on the other hand, new tanker construction has been greatly accelerated, and the Allied fleet has been augmented by the chartering ot neutral tankers. In his connection it may be pointed out that Norway and Holland possess a tanker tonnage of 2117 thousand tons, and 5576 hundred gross tons; only a small part of which has been required for their own trade. There can thus be no doubt about the adequacy of the Allied oil supplies during the first six months of the war. When it is also recalled that considerable stocks of oil had been accumulated in Britain and France before the war began, it will be apparent that there is no reason to suppose that their oil supplies will fall short of their future requirements.” German propaganda recently attempted to imply that the position of the Allies in regard to tankers was becoming serious. It has been alleged, for instance, that one-tenth of the British tanker fleet ■ has been sunk. Even if this were true, the facts cited above show that the Allied position would be far fr,q[m serious. The figure given by the Germans, however, is authoritatively stated to be a gross exaggeration which bears no resemblance to the truth. Observers in London regard this as yet another example of the German propaganda device of concealing home anxieties by falsely imputing anxieties to the Allies.

British Exports NEED FOR INCREASE [British Official Wireless.] (Received March 12, 5.5 p.m.) RUGBY, March 11. Sir A. Duncan stressed the importance of maintaining Britain’s export trade in an address to the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, which was the first of a series of meetings to which he is speaking in industrial centres. Sir A. Duncan said that he tealused the overwhelming (importance of an expansion in Britain’s export trade in a long war, and said the Government was ready to accept the challenge given to the nation’s organising power. It was to the .Executive Committee of the recentlyconstituted Export Council that the Government looked in the question of organising for export. In the view of the Export Council, the aim in view could best be attained in industry by action on the part of industry. The Minister stated that there had been a gratifying response to the proposal to establish export groups in individual industries.

BRITISH COMMENT.

ON PAST GERMAN AIR BLOCKADE (Received March 12, 5.5 p.m.) RUGBY, March 11. Though naturally welcoming any mitigation on the part of the German authorities of their indiscriminate attacks on merchant vessels, naval observers in London consider that a significant Nazi admission is implicit in the nature of these promises to Norway. This is that it is possible to ascertain the nationality and nature of vessels which Nazi airmen have been so ruthlessly attacking since the outbreak of the war. It is considered that no longer now can a doubt exist that every one of the countless attacks by Nazi aircraft on neutrai merchant vessels has been deliberate and been merely an incident in a pre-determined policy. Britain’s Big Loan EXPECTED TO BE PLACED. (Received March 12, 5.5 p.m.) . RUGBY, March 11. . Financial circles in London anticipate a big success for the £3OO million war loan opening to-morrow (Tuesday), and expect the issue will have been over-subscribed before the close on the following day. Three insurance companies have promised to subscribe <sight millions. The Imperial Chemical Industries Combine will subscribe for two millions.