ECONOMIC WARFARE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24716, 19 September 1941, Page 5

ECONOMIC WARFARE

EFFECT ON GERMANY THE STRAIN TELLING RUGBY, Sept. 17. A steady stream of help is now finding its way from Britain to Russia, stated Mr Hugh Dalton (Minister of Economic Warfare), in a speech. The Soviet’s fight was, he said, a British fight, and the Soviet must be helped and backed to the full. Mr Dalton paid a high tribute to Russian unity as well as to the sacrifices the Russians were making to stem the tide of invasion.

Turning to the activities of Ills own department, the Minister reminded his audience that economic warfare worked slowly but surely, and remarked that, although Germany’s .Eurooean conquests brought her important economic gains, at the same time her attacks cut off certain other supplies. Mr Dalton instanced the cotton Germany was previously getting from Russia and wool, hitherto going to her from Iran. Neither was economic warfare only a matter of blockade. Attacks on German shipping and the dominance of British power had important results on the enemy’s already over-strained inland transport system. Mr Dalton illustrated this by citing the case of coal traffic between Germany and Italy. Coal used to go by sea, but had to be carried by rail, which involved some 50 trains of 40 trucks a day for an average journey of 800 miles. These wagons had to travel _ back empty because they were unsuitable for conveying fruit and vegetables, which are Italy’s natural exports. Air raids on enemy rail communications were all the time increasing the strain.

Mr Dalton spoke of the black list, which weapon was jointly wielded with the United States. “Hand in hand we are hunting down all over the world firms which try to trade with the enemy. These are blacklisted and barred from trade with any firm in the British Empii'e,” he said. “If they are on the American black list as well, there is not much more to be said.”

After referring to political warfare, the conduct of which he was charged with, together with Mr Eden and Mr Bracken, Mr Dalton concluded: “Beyond total victory over Hitlerlite Germany, beyond the great cleansing of invaded Europe from the German plague, our peace, aim must be to shape a new order; only it must be different both from what Hitler plans and from what we knew before the war. That new order in its broad sweep was sketched in the Atlantic charter on the authority of both Britain and America.” *