ONLY HOPE OF PEACE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 23 October 1941, Page 5

ONLY HOPE OF PEACE

COUNTERIN(fFORCE WITH FORCE j MEWS OF U.S. NAVI SECRETARY I SINKING OF FREIGHTER LEHIGH " New York, Oct. 21 “The Fagan forces which have been loosed by Hitler upon the peaceloving world cannot be submerged by threats or cajoled with promises,” said the Secretary oi the Navy, Colonel Knox, in a nation wide broadcast. He said that the only hope of peace rested on the 1 brutal necessity of countering force with force. The nation could depend on the navy and other armed forces not shirking their appointed tasks no matter at what cost. The freighter Lehigh, of 9000 tons. : which was torpedoed and sunk by a submarine near the West African coast [on the night of 19th October, after having discharged cargo at a Spanish port, was en route to Takoracli, on the Gold Coast, to pick up ore consigned to the United States. It is reported that 22 of the crew were picked up by the * British vessel Vimy, which is now en route to Bathurst, West Africa. It is believed that the master of the Lehigh, together with the other survivors among the crew, which normally totals 37, are adrift in two lifeboats. The freighter was flying the American flag. Asked where submarines operating j in the South Atlantic came from, Pre- j sident Roosevelt said that some came ■ from occupied France and others refuelled in mid-ocean. lie said that the United States Government had no confirmation of reports that raiders were based on islands off the coast of , The President Indicated that 111 the j event of an attack on the Western ; Hemisphere the United States and Canadian navies would probably use , | Atlantic ports jointly. , Though there is no prospect ol any - I thing being done immediately, the Can--1 [ udian-American Defence Board an - j nounces that it is considering the joint ' i use of defence facilities. Members of the Foreign Relations ’ Committee of the Senate said to-day i that the Chief of Naval Operations. Admiral Stark, had testified that the destroyer Kearny was escorting a conj ! voy when she was torpedoed. CALL TO REPUBLICANS Mr Willkie, together with six Re- , j publican governors and other promin- , ,ent Republicans from 40 States, to-day J issued a statement again urging the Republican Congressmen to take up 1 the lead for repeal of the Neutrality ! Act. The statement criticises the Ad- [ 1 ministration for its failure to achieve , : a “forthright and direct international - j policy designed to encompass the desj | truction of totalitarianism by whatever ! means may be necessary ” In an attempt to end the immediate . shortage of British and American ton- • nage, the Maritime Commission an--7 i nounced that it has launched a new : 1 shipbuilding programme to construct . , 264 special-type tankers and freighters. ’ ! This will not interfere with the pro- ’ j duction of 1200 larger vessels which are t I now on order, it stated. - j The Federal loan administrator, Mr 1 Jesse Jones, announced that he had ad»l vanced to Russia an additional 7.000,000 . 1 dollars to pay for war equipment from ■ i the United States, thus bringing to ; | nearly 37.000,000 -j which had been ad-“need to Russia. — •; U.P.A. NAVAL BASES IN BRITISH ISLES AID FROM UNITED STATES I 'Rec 9.15 a.m.) Washington. Oct. 22 It is officially revealed that Admiral ;j Stark, Chief of Navy Operations, testi ■ fying before the Senate sub-committec on behalf of the Lend Lease Bill, said the Navy allocated funds for materials and facilities for four naval bases in [the British Isles with the British using; their own funds for construction. He further stated that the Navy planned to use an additional 10.000.000 dollars for a British Naval base in Iceland.—U.P.A