SPANISH WOLFRAM

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24878, 27 April 1944, Page 5

SPANISH WOLFRAM

EXPORTS TO GERMANY LIMITATION NOW LIKELY MEETING ALLIED WISHES (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, April 25 Spain is believed to be on the verge of agreeing to limit the exports of wolfram to Germany to the extremely small figure suggested by Britain, says the Daily Express' political correspondent. Talks have been going on for weeks between representatives of Britain and Spain. Britain in return will probably lift the embargo on oil for Spain. Wolfram, liko chrome, is invaluable for hardening steel for war purposes. The supply of war material to Germany from neutral countries is a frontpage topic in to-day's press. The papers discuss the negotiations going on with Spain concerning the shipment to Germany of wolfram. There has been no official statement on the progress of the negotiations from London or Washington. but political commentators in the press point out that the Spanish Government has lately shown a greater willingness to be strictly neutral. They think that Spain might be willing to make a drastic cut in supplies to Germany so that Germany would receive in 1944 only about one-third ol what she received in 1943. The commentators also believe the Spanish Government would be prepared to meet other Allied complaints—for example, curtail the activities of A sis agents. The Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, told the House of Commons that lie hoped shortly to be in a position to make a statement about the export of wolfram to Germany by Portugal. The Government, he said, had made it plain that as an Ally it thought it had a right to ask that this traffic (should cease. REPLY FROM SWEDEN UNITED STATES' ATTITUDE (Herd. p.m.) LONDON, April 25 The Swedish reply to the BritishAmerican request to cease exporting vital war supplies to Germany is officially stated to be under consideration in London, says the British official wireless. However, there is no secret reply contained in the refusal. A Washington message says that the United States Secretary of State. Mr. Cordell Hull, said the reply was "not satisfactory." He added that the United States Government attached very great importance to the supplying of ball-bearings and was very disappointed. The consensus of opinion in the American press, following Mr. Hull's comment, is that the United States cannot be expected to maintain cordial relations with countries which aid the Nazi war effort. NAVAL SKIRMISHES E-BOATS DRIVEN OFF (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON. April 25 Two naval skirmishes have taken place in the English Channel. The Admiralty and • the Air Ministry announce that a strong force of enemy E-boats which attempted to attack a convoy in the early hours of MonQay was intercepted and driven off by light naval forces. One K-boat was damaged. The scattered enemy forces were subsequently attacked by aircraft. The other clash is described in an Admiralty communique which says thatlight coastal forces on an offensive patrol engaged two groups of U-boats in the vicinity of Cherbourg Peninsula. A . brisk gun action ensued. Many hits were obtained on the enemy vessels, j which were driven off. One of our motor torpedo-boats was sunk. SENTENCED TO DEATH 39 ABSENT FRENCHMEN (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, April 20 A military tribunal at Algiers has sentenced to death 39 Frenchmen in absentia. The accused were members ot pro-German organisations in Tunisia and fled to France after the Allied invasion. Unless the accused listened to the 8.8.C.'s account of the trial—an offence punishable by two years' imprisonment —they are not aware of their sentence. PLANE HITS HOUSES ACCIDENT IN MONTREAL CREW AND CIVILIANS DIE MONTREAL, April 25 A Liberator of the Royal Air Force Transport Command crashed into a group of brick houses in a suburb of Montreal this morning, shortly after taking off for overseas. The entire crew of five, the only persons aboard the plane, were killed. At least four citizens were killed, including a policeman who was patrolling his beat. Others were injured. The plane was wrecked and 14 houses were damaged. Other houses were set on fire. Traffic and telephone communication were cut off. Two hundred troops immediately surrounded the area. The police said that three women, a child and two men were missing, believed buried in the debris of. the wrecked homes. An inquiry is to be held into the cause of the accident. CANADIAN CASH A LTIES (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) OTTAWA, April 25 It is officially stated that Canadian casualties to February 29 are: —Killed. 14.999; injured, 7889; missing. 2817. These include 8137 men killed in the Air Force, 5842 in the Army and 1020 in the Navy.