America Speeding Up Aid to Britain

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 96, 23 April 1941, Page 7

America Speeding Up Aid to Britain

Pushing Acquisition

Of Foreign Ships BANNING STRIKES IN SHIPYARDS United Press Association—By Electrio Telegraph—Copyright. Received Tuesday, 8.2 p.m. WASHINGTON, April 21. President Roosevelt conferred with Congressional leaders urging speedy action on pending legislation authorising him to acquire foreign ships tied up in United States ports. It is expected that when given authority he will release equivalent tonnage to Britain. Meanwhile the Coastguard is expediting arrangements for the transfer of its biggest cutters to the Navy. President Roosevelt issued a state . ment saying that tho public interest dct mands that soft coal production should j be resumed immediately. Therefore he . recommended the northern miners and operators who were already in agreel ment to start work while the southern operators and miners who had not yet ; reached a settlement should enter nego--1 tiations and at the same time re-open t the mines.

The House Naval Committee approved to-day a measure authorising the expenditure of 50,000,000 dollars for the construction of bases .for handling small naval craft along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Senator Hillman told the Senate Committee that a shipbuilding agreement could be expected whereby employers and employees would agree that there would be no strikes and no lockouts in the shipbuilding industry throughout the country. Ho added that a stabilisation agreement on these lines was already operative on the Pacific coast.

Bishop Hobson, chairman of the “Tight for Freedom Committee” has issued a statement- declaring that American troops should be sent to Europe the moment they are needed to beat Hitler. “It is dishonest to ignore the fact that we are already in the war which we won’t win by merely being democracy’s arsenal. ’ *

Bishop Hobson revealed that he had received many letters denouncing him as “a disgrace to the ministry,” but many more wanted to join the organisation.

Mr. Jesse Jones, Federal Loan Ad ministrator, addressing the annual luncheon of the Associated Press, warned that American people have not yet been “shocked” into a realisation cf the consequences of the war to the nation’s future.

“ There is no Toom in America for complacency,” he said. “There is no place for indifference. Certainly there is no place for obstruction and it should not be tolerated. No matter how fast defence production climbs it will not be fast enough to meet the need nor satisfy our anxiety. There is no place in the crucial world of 1941 for any delay oi any excuses.”