LEND-LEASE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23258, 20 July 1945, Page 2

LEND-LEASE

Fiction And Fact . Some Canards Quashed Rumours and reports concerning lend-lease. which are either incorrect or exaggerated, are dealt with effectively in the 19th report to the United States Congress on lendlease, operations. Among the charges ansnered are several alleging that 1 Britain is charging exorbitant prices for certain goods and services. While j most of the information is obviously i for American consumption, much of it is of interest to New Zealanders. In regard to the widely-circulated rumour that Britain and other allieI plan to use lend-lease materials in their export trade in competition I with U.S.A, when the war has ended. lit is stated that America retains | title to all lend-lease material that i has not been lost, destroyed, or consumed, and no disposition may be I made of such property without 1 American consent. The United States controls the post-war availability of such materials. Here are some further extracts: I Fiction: Americans who have stood I in long lines to purchase cigarettes i have sometimes heard that one reason for the shortage was the large I number furnished to other countries ’ under lend-lease. 1 Fact: United States lend-lease exports of cigarettes in 1944 required 1 only about 11 per cent, of production. For every cigarette lend-leased in ; 1944 20 went to United States armed 1 forces abroad and people in America ! smoked 60. Butter, Beef and Veal ! Fiction: American tourists in Canada have been able to purchase all the butter thev want at low prices. ■ I and have allegedly found that the 1 butter contains a lend-lease label. I Fact: Canada has received no 1 butter under lend-lease. All butter 1 for that purpose has been sent to the I U.S.S.R. for use by the Russian army. The proportion of total supply lend- | leased amounted to .7 per cent, in I 1942, 4.1 per cent, in 1943 . 4.2 per cent, in 1944 and 2.1 per cent, in the first quarter of 1945. Fiction: The shortage of domestic beef and veal supplies in the United States has resulted in the idea that large quantities are being lend-leased. Fact: Only 1.1 pei - cent, of domestic beef and 1.3 per cent, of veal was delivered to the Allies as lend-lease in the first three months of 1945. American forces in the South Pacific have received from Australia and New Zealand under reverse lend-lease two-thirds as much beef and veal as the United States exports under lend-lease to all countries. Fiction: Each time a United States plane makes a forced landing on an | airfield in Britain the United States Government is charged 7000 dollars. Fact: The British Government makes no charge whatever for forced or other landing. It furnishes as reverse lend-lease all airfields in the United Kingdom used by United States air forces. Fiction: United States is sending to Britain as lend-lease several hundred thousand prefabricated houses, which are consuming a substantial share of domestic lumber supplies. Fact: United States Is using about two-thirds of 1 per cent, of its national lumber supply in 1945 to provide 30.000 temporary emergency houses for war workers in war production areas in England. These will help replace some of the 500.000 houses estimated to have been completely destroyed by the Luftwaffe and V bombs.