DECISIVE FACTOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24715, 18 September 1941, Page 8

DECISIVE FACTOR

RATE OF PRODUCTION AMERICA'S GREAT EFFORT LORD HALIFAX IMPRESSED , ; -: .; . RUGBY, Sept. 16. In the course of a broadcast this evening Lord Halifax described visits to various parts of the United States, where the great industries are preparing supplies for the fight against Nazi aggression. "I went out to the Pacific Coast the other day," he said, "and in California saw great shipyards where six months before there was only a vast mud flat. A 10,000-ton cargo ship has already been launched from that yard. From then—the middle of August—a new ship is to be launched every three weeks until the contract is completed. You know about our warships being prepared in record time in American yards. Night and day hammers clang without ceasing up and down the two great seaboards as rivets are being driven home. Ships are moving down the way. Remember that the mainspring of all this is America's own self-defence, but at the same time every man and woman working at vital war production realises that he or she is helping to keep us fed and our factories supplied with material and weapons to place in our hands for use against the common enemy.

"It is the same story there in the aircraft industry. Vast factories seem to spring up from the very ground. Production lines are busy night and day turning out fighters and bombers. A large number of these are for our use, as the Nazis already know to their cost. Wherever I went I found the management and workers alike resolved to do anything they could to help. They are eager to set up new production records, and they are proud—justly proud—that they are able to do these things. The present crisis is proving just how immense the industrial capacity of America is, and at the end of the day this is going to be decisive." OPINION IN AMERICA FULLY AWARE OF MENACE RUGBY, Sept 16. "An overwhelming mass of American people is just as alive to the menace to things they value as are the British from their own angle." Lord Halifax .made this statement at a press conference in London today in reply to a question regarding the trend of United States opinion. ."It is perhaps fairly true to say," Lord-Halifax said, " that while there is a "small percentage at either extreme, the opinion of the great block of middle opinion is broadly prepared "to follow the course of events ss ■ they develop, and follow whatever lead, the Administration may give) As regards the use by Britain of lease-lend assistance* though there may:, have < been misunderstandings from \ time to -time, broadly speaking the American people are deeply impressed by the fashion in which the British rCommonwealth; is standing up to the ordeal arid lis "anxious to help in.any way they can. American production methbds are different and they produce with a great roll, whereas British methods are more on the lines of improvisation. It is prettysafe to feel, however, as the weeks and months pass that production is going to gain momentum. The crucial point of the British and American war effort is more and more centred round production. Till now we have constantly had to scale down- our needs to fit capacity. Now—and more than ever because of the Russian events—the need is for scaling up capacity to meet needs.".'

No illusion, he thought, was held concerning how great a service had been done'by the gallantr—surprisingly -gallant—resistance by Russia during the time which we believed we had been' putting to good use, and it was not helpful to sit down and say the dish of production must now be divided between three. The dish must be made biggef;-' Questioned with regard to '•< the British attitude towards the possible continuation of the American defence zone extensions after the war, Lord Halifax said he thought this attitude had been clearly shown by ihe British action in leasing bases to America. He would look forward to the continued close working together of Eritain and America in the days of peace.