SALES OF ARMS

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1934, Page 7

SALES OF ARMS

AMERICAN INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES WIDELY SPREAD AFFAIRS OF BRITISH FIRM RESULTS OF LONG PROBING SOUTH AMERICA SUPPLIED By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright. Rec. 7 p.m. Washington, Sept. 10. The United States Senate Munitions Investigation Committee heard testimony to-day regarding the sale of armaments to many countries, including Japan, China, Turkey, Peru, Colombia 'and Cuba. About two hours were devoted to probing the affairs of the firm of Soley Limited, described as a “semi-official British surplus arms corporation" and its United States agent, the American Arms Corporation. The evidence indicated that Soley Ltd. has or had probably £6,000,000 worth of surplus equipment out-of-date for the use of modem armies, but suitable for wars between, or revolutions in, small countries'. The equipment included thousands of Lewis, Hotchkiss and Vickers machine-guns, Colt pistols, light artillery and other weapons used in the recent hostilities in Manchuria and the Gran Chaco and in threatened trouble in other parts of South America.

Soley Limited did a large business, often calling on the American Arms Corporation to supplement the requirements from the American Government surpluses.