CRISIS MORE ACUTE

Grey River Argus, 13 October 1941, Page 6

CRISIS MORE ACUTE

U.S.A. WAR MATERIALS Not Nearly Enough Yet WASHINGTON, October 8. The House of Appropriations Committee, which to-day approved a 5585 million dollars lend and lease appropriation, has released a report showing that the Lend-Lease Act officials are dissatisfied with the re-latively-small trickle of materials going to Britain and her Allies, tney expect the flow greatly to increase upon the completion of the timeconsuming initial preparations. It is revealed also that munitions production has not yet reached the point necessary to defeat the Axis. The whole of the new fund could be obligated by March 1, 1942, and thedelivery of material completed not later than June 30, 1943. The committee’s report stated that the United States expected to receive something to value, tangible or intangible as reinbursement for lend and lease aid, but specific agreements have not yet been made. Giving evidence before the committee, Mr. Stimson expressed the belief the world crisis was more acute thian before. The army’s Ferry. Command was planning the delivery of planes to any lend and lease destination. Admiral Land assured the committee that Germany would fail to block 1 the delivery of lend and lease supplies, unless the sinking became greater than at any time previously. He estimated that 230 cargo vessels would be necessary to transport suoI plies to Britain, the Red Sea, and the Far East. The United States was able to build 14,000,000 tons of shipping in 1942/43.

Mr. Knudsen declared that Germany could not produce more that 2000 planes monthly. About 500 million dollars’ worth of n(aterials would be supplied to the Netherland East Indies. Small manufacturing arsenals and maintenance shops would be established in the interior of China with 4,000,000 dollars’ worth of materials. Additional manufacturing facilities would be provided for the production of the special type of steel needed for 18J million dollars’ worth of special bombs, and for the production of 4401bs of T.N.T. daily. Since the defence programme began, seven billion dollars had been authorised for new plants The Secretarj'- (Mr Wickard) said that the production peak of lend and lease planes would be reached in September, 1942. Ten million dollars would be spent in training British pilots. Convoy escort vessels would be supplied in unspecified numbers in 1942. Ten million dollars would be spent in training British' pilots. The navy planned to spend 155 million dollars for a continuous flow of petroleum products to Britain, the Dominions and colonies. A total of 529 civilian conservation camps had already been turned over to stranded British seamen. Next year, the United States proposed to send 500 million dozen eggs and 5000 million pounds of milk to Britain.