TIN FOR RUSSIA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 January 1942, Page 4

TIN FOR RUSSIA

SHIPMENTS FROM BRITISH MALAYA. £ Prior to the recent Japanese invasion, Russia’s war factories were getting huge consignments of tin from British Malaya. There was a dramatic leap in the amount shipped. As recently as 1939, less than one ton a year of it went to the Soviet Union, and. up to the end of June exports continued to be negligible. Suddenly, in July, they shot] up in value to nearly £1,000,000, mostly for tin and rubber. Stalin was usuig the tin to make bearings for tanks, aeroplanes and army lorries: for wireless, telephone, and radio-locator equipment; for his fire prevention systems and for food canning.

Russia has no tin of her own, nor has the United States, and in a normal year they use between them about 160,000 tons of it, or 80 per cent of the world production. Both countries are therefore dependent on regular imports of good quality ingot tin and the British Empire and her Allies have a virtual monopoly of it; whereas the Axis supply is particularly short of both in their own and in occupied territories. The United States was Malaya's biggest customer in July, with total imports of £6,000,000. Canada came-next with £2,300,000. The Soviet' Union was third. Tin supplies come largely from the great tin smelters at Singapore and Penang in the Straits Settlements and from the islands of Banka and Billiton in the Netherlands Indies, an indica- ; lion of the importance of these Allied I territories apart from their strategic 1 value. 1