PLANES FOR WARFARE

Grey River Argus, 20 August 1940, Page 2

PLANES FOR WARFARE

American Expansion BRITAIN HELPING WITH COST AUCKLAND. August 20. “There has been a great wave of opinion in favour of helping Britain,” said Mr Ansel Talbert, aviation editor of the “New York Herald-Tri-bune,” in an interview on his arrival from the United States by the clipper in discussing United States reaction to the latest war developments. Mr Talbert has flown extensively, having visited most oi the centres of European aviation before the war. He also flew the Atlantic last year and recently visited Nome, Alaska, by air. Both Mr Talbert and Mr James Basset, aviation editor of the “Los Angeles Times,” spoke in detail of the manner in which the United States is developing her vast resources for the production of warplanes, both for Britain and for her own defence programme. Mr Talbert estimated that last month nearly 300 American airmail of various types were delivered to the British purchasing mission in the United States, and, though nobody could say how many of these had been taken to the United Kingdom, it was generally believed that 70 or 80 per cent, were already in use with the Royal Air Force. Both journalists referred to the expansion programme in the United States aircraft industry, and MiBasset said he considered that by the middle of next year the United States would be able to produce 30,000 aircraft a year. Britain was paying for part of the expansion cf factories, but much of the extension was being done in connection with the United States re-armament programme.