STOP AT NOTHING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24631, 9 July 1943, Page 3

STOP AT NOTHING

HITLER'S NEW GAMBLE DISCUSSION ON MOTIVES (Reed. 12.5 a.m.) LONDON. July 8 "By starting an offensive at this comparatively late period, Hitler has embarked on a heavy task and may be expected to stop at nothing," says the Moscow radio. "Hitler would probably have preferred to sit back and wait for his adversary to make the first move, but he could not afford to let the whole summer pass with the German Army inactive. "Hitler has again applied his typical, adventurous tactics by throwing everything against Russia and leaving only skeleton armies to face a possible Allied invasion. German propagandists thought, by saying Hitler would not start an offensive against Russia, that they would make the British and Americans believe that Germany would be able to move troops from the east to "lie west." The question is being asked in London: "Why is Germany attacking?" One view is that Hitler must attack, as it is his one remaining chance of winning the war; that he delayed his attack not because he wanted to do so, but because much reorganisation was required after the Russians' winter drive; that Italian, Hungarian and Rumanian troops, which held 70 per cent of the front where the attack is now being made, were driven from the battlefield and, not having returned, had to be replaced by German troops; and that the Royal Air Force bombing of the Ruhr interrupted the flow or munitions. The coining week, it is suggested, will tell whether this is a major offensive or a limited one with the object of straightening the Kursk salient and establishing a "holding offensive" in order to anticipate any Russian designs for an offensive timed to coincide with the expected major Allied invasion. Another view is that the initiative is necessarily limited because the Axis has not the forces for the unlimited and vastly ambitious enveloping movements of the last two years. The opinion is expressed that the governing factor is the German lack of air power, without which no mechanised army can achieve decisive results. £32,000,000 AIRPORT UNITED STATES PROJECT NEW YOBK, July 7 The world's largest airport, the cost of which is estimated at £32.000,000, is being built on the north-east shore of Jamaica Bay, New York, for post-war flying services. The well-known airport engineer, Mr. Jay Downer, says that provision is being made for a 100-passenger plane service to Furope every hour. Helicopters will provide a taxi service between .New York and the eastern States. The new airfield will he six times larger than the 570-aere La Gttardia Field nt New York, and will eventually employ 40,000 people. It will have six miles of hangars for land planes and one mile of hangars for-sea planes. Possibly 900 planes will be handled each day. BRITISH TIMBER NEEDS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE LONDON, July 7 "The Government need not take a final decision, on a policy for a 50 years' afforestation programme, but must take a decision for the next 10 years," said Sir William Jowitt, Minister without portfolio, when winding-up a debate in the House of Commons 011 the subject. "We propose during the next 10 years to afforest about 500,000 acres and to replant 600,000 acres," continued Sir William, "and we hope private owners will develop another 200,000 acres. That will give a total of 1,300,000 acres at a net cost of £41,000,000." Karlier, Sir George Coiirthope, speaking for the Forestry Commission, said that in 20 years the commission had planted 351,000 acres of soft wood and 25,000 to 30,000 acres of hard woods and had arranged for planting on private estates 120,000 acres. He foresaw a difficult timber situation after the war on account of alarming reports about the treatment by Germans of forests in occupied countries, while Russia. Which normally provided a great part of our imported timber, would be faced with a great reconstruction programme. Sweden was now exporting up to her full normal felling and was not likelv to exceed it after the war. Sir George said we might be hard put to it to obtain the timber we required for a good many years. It was calculated that if we planted up to a, total of 5,000,000 acres this would supply, when it reached maturity, onethird of Britain's current _ timber requirements. The commission recommended the adoption of a programme at that figure. CLOTHING RATIONING LONDON. July 8 A warning to the people of Britain that he will make another cut in clothing coupons has been issued by Mr. Hugh l)alton, President of the Board of Trade. The number of coupons has not yet been fixed, but it is suggested that, it will be between 36 and -JB. Mr. Dal ton described Britain's utility clothing scheme as a great success. Ho said it had helped to make price control easier. The price of clothing in Britain to-day was 70 ncr cent above the prewar level, but in the last war clothing prices soared by more than 250 per j [ cent*