UNITED STATES DEFENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 209, 2 August 1940, Page 8

UNITED STATES DEFENCE.

CONSCRIPTION MEASURE. WASHINGTON, July 31. Tile House Appropriations Committee approved the Bill implementing President Roosevelt’s defence requests totalling 4,863,151,957 dollars for cash and contract authorisations, making 10,040,225,543 dollars available for defence expenditures in the current fiscal year. The House later passed the Bill and sent it to the Senate.

The Senate Military Committee amended the Burke-AA T adsworth Bill to require the registration only of men from 21 to 31 and to eliminate the provision for eervice in home defence units of those from 18 to 21 and from 45 to 64.

The Secretary for AVar (Mr H. L. Stimson) supporting the Bill before the House Military Committee said: “We are face to face with a potential enemy—Germany. A prudent trustee niustconsider that in another 30 days Britain may be conquered and her fleet under enemy control The danger is far graver than in June, 1917. Then the unbroken Allied line gave the United States, time to prepare.” The Senate Military Committee has been advised that the AA’ar Department Budget Bureau approved the Conscription Bill. Members consider the Bureau’s approval implies presidential sanction. POLICY. Received August 2. 9.45 a.m. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 1. The National Foreign Trade Convention unconditionally endorsed President Roosevelt’s reciprocal trade programme and national defence policies, but recommended repeal of the Johnson Act, which prohibits loans to war loan defaulters. The convention reaffirmed confidence in the gold standard, advocated a return to gold as a requisite in world trade, urged modification or repeal of Neutrality Act provisions unnecessarily restraining American trade, shipping and finance, and endorsed the actions at the Havana Conference. A Washington message the Senate Banking Committee has reported favourably on the 500 000.000 dollars Export-Import Bank Bill, adding a provision prohibiting use of the funds in violation of the Johnston Act. The Senate Military Committee postponed action on the Conscription Bill as strong support developed for limitation of the immediate application of the measure to one million men.