AID FOR FRANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25052, 16 November 1944, Page 5

AID FOR FRANCE

GOODS FROM ALLIES

, REBUILDING BEGINS

LEND-LEASE IN REVERSE (Eecd. 0.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 France is seeking approximately 2,000,000,000 dollars worth of United States exports within the next year for use in rebuilding France, says the Associated Press. Some goods may be shipped lend-lease because they are considered necessary to the French war effort against Gerqiany and Japan, but the bulk will be partly cash, partly credit.

The goods include 700 locomotives, railway rolling stock, track equipment and motor-trucks, also huge shipments of cotton, fertiliser and other raw materials. Equipping French Army

Following Mr Churchill's visit to Paris details of the aid to be furnished to France J] re becoming known, says a London message. It is learned on good authority in London that the French Forces of the Interior, now part of the Regular Army, are to receive from the Allies a supply of arms adequate to enable them to overcome German resistance in the enemy-occupied Atlantic ports. It is also intended to equip large bodies of these men to take their part eventually in the general offensive against Germany.

The most immediate French requirements, however, are in the economic sphere. In particular, lack of coal hinders tjie restoration of industry and transport. This deficiency is in turn largely due to lack of pit props, which cannot at present be moved from the forests to the mines. Britain has accordingly agreed to supply 10,000 tons of steel props and a similar quantity of wood. The working days in the French mines have been already increased from three to four a week in anticipation of this. Eiffel Tower Lent to Americans

Further, it is intended to set up an Allied Advisory Committee to expedite general imports from French overseas possessions and other countries. This arrangement is all the more necessary as the available French shipping since 1940 has been employed in the general Allied pool. The Eiffel Tower in Paris has been made available to the United States as a radio station under the reverse lendlease plan which is now in operation in France. This was disclosed at Supreme Headquarters by Brigadier-General Wayne Allen, chairman of the United States Army's General Purchasing Board.

General Allen said that although the French share of reverse lend-lease compared with the British contribution was at present only a trickle, probably witnin three months it would be saving the Allies as much trans-Atlantic shipping as British lend-lease did. French Factory Production

A French tank factory, he added, which had been turning out tanks for the Germans, was now producing parts for Sherman tanks. The French were producing heavy lorry tyres from synthetic rubber from America, and otlier factories were producing steel girders for bridging the Bhine. Contracts had been placed for American uniforms.

General Allen said 33,000 civilians were already on the American pay-roll in France. The Americans would employ untold thousands more as soon as factories were rebuilt and raw materials made available. Thousands of local engineers were now working with American engineer troops to restore the railways. MR CHURCHILL HOME MEETING WITH EISENHOWER LONDON, Nov. 14 The Prime Minister, Mr Churchill, returned to England today accompanied by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field-Marshal Sir Alan Brooke. Mr Churchill met General Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander, in France this morning before he left.

FIGHTING FRENCH PARTY'S VISIT TO BRITAIN (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 15 Two hundred young men and girls of the French Forces of the Interior are on a three-day visit to Britain. They arrived at a London station last night and were greeted with the singing of the Marseillaise. The visitors come from all over France and some were fighting the Germans only a few days ago.

ARREST OF PRETENDER (Reed. 8.45 p.m.) PARIS, Nov. 14

The newspaper Liberation Soir announces that the FTP (Francs-Tireurs et Partisans, the Communist section of the F.F.L), arrested the Pretender to the French Throne, the Comte de Paris. He has not yet been handed over to the police because of his shoulder wound and official quarters are not yet concerned with his arrest. However, following last night's announcement of the Pretender's arrest at Perpignan, the Government in Paris ordered an inquiry and then issued a warrant for his arrest.

EXHAUSTED WORKERS Drugs and alcohol METHODS USED IN GERMANY (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 15 German munition workers in underf round factories are being given alcoolic liquors to combat exhaustion, according to Goering's newspaper, the Essen National Zeitung. It says: '

"For some time a 60-hour week has been maintained in the principal armament factories and many workers are now doing 70 hours a week. The strain of such long hours is even greater in factories which have been transferred underground. The supply of fresh air, in 6pite of air-conditioning, is hardly comparable with factories above the ground. "Workers in the first stages of exhaustion are given special food stiumulants. such as synthetic caffeine and kola nuts, to restore their energy. Tliie increases their working capacity by nearly 25 per cent. Workers in the last stages of exhaustion are given alcoholic liquors. These have a most beneficial effect and increase efficiency."

OIL FROM PERSIA (Reed. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 15 The Minister of State, Mr Richard Law, said in the House of Commons today that the Persian Government had announced its intention to postpone the matter of granting new oil concessions until after the war. British and American companies were not seeking concessions in the area where the Russians wanted them, so that the possibility of friction between them and the Russians did not arise.

POST FOR SIR E. FISK SYDNEY, Nov. 15 Sir Ernest Fisk has resigned his post as managing director of Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia), Ltd., to take up an appointment in England. His resignation will take effect at the end of the year. Details of his new appointment have not been disclosed, but an announcement is expected to be made in England.

RADIO EXPERTS CONFER (Rccd. 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 15 Representatives of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand continued their talks in Ottawa yesterday on wartime developments in radio and their bearing on post-war-civil aviation. The talks were begun in London last February*