PREPARING FOR ACTION

Southland Times, Issue 24651, 24 January 1942, Page 5

PREPARING FOR ACTION

AMERICAN MOVES IN PACIFIC MOUNTING FLOW OF BOMBERS WASHINGTON, January 22. A high Government official said that the vast emergency military steps taken since December 7 had resulted in an unprecedented strengthening of the entire West Coast defences and of Hawaii, paving the way for reinforcements for the south-west Pacific. Within the United States 600,000 troops had shifted to new positions in less than seven weeks. The advantage Japan had gained on December 7 had been largely off-set by the mounting flpw of long-range bombers. He added that it looked as if the United States had lost control of the seas for the time being. To meet this the army had thrown in big bombers to plug the defence leak in the west. Production of aircraft was rising steadily. The nation had sufficient bombers and fighters to meet, the emergency. APPEAL FOR REINFORCEMENTS

Dr H. Van Mook, LieutenantGovernor of the Dutch East Indies, in a broadcast, urged the immediate despatch of United States air, naval and land forces to the East Indies and Malaya. He declared that their capture would mean the isolation of Australia and the loss of the best bases for

counter-attacking the Japanese. The East Indies and Malaya constituted a wall between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Once it was lost to the enemy Japan would be able to close the Burma Road and also threaten communications with the Middle' East and Russia through the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

Army officials in Honolulu have distributed hundreds of thousands of gas masks to civilians in Hawaii and warned the people to carry them at all times. Civilians were required to produce finger-printed identification cards before their masks were issued.

A Chinese Government spokesman said that his Government was confident that Singapore would not fall. The spokesman added that the Japanese now have air superiority in Malaya but that might soon be changed.

Asserting that “debating societies would not be tolerated,” Mr Nelson, the new generalissimo of American war production, has abolished the Office of Production Management and has announced that he has devised simple and direct machinery with the key men given sweeping authority “to get the job done.” Mention of Hurricane fighters having shot down five Japanese raiders over Singapore yesterday has indicated that air reinforcements are arriving in Malaya. This is the first time Hurricanes have been reported in action in Singapore.