AID TO BRITAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 33, 8 February 1941, Page 5

AID TO BRITAIN

BILL BEFORE THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPS. REPUBLICAN AMENDMENTS BEATEN Received Feb. 7, 7.45 p.m. WASHINGTON, Feb. 6. The House adopted a Foregin Affairs Committee amendment making the Lend and Lease (Aid to Britain) Bill effective until June 30, 1943. In the meantime, Mr. Roosevelt is empowered, until the same date, to give all authorised aid to Britain and enter contracts for such aid to be completed not later than June 30, 1946.

By 206 votes to 145 the House defeated a Republican substitute Bill aimed to limit expenditure on British aid to 2,000,000,000 dollars. An amendment introduced by Mr. Melvin J. Mass (Republican, Minnesota) authorising the President to negotiate the purchase of all British possessions in the Western Hemisphere, except Canada and Nova Scotia, for about 16,000,000,000 dollars, was thrown out on lhe grounds that it was not connected with the issue. Another amendment, providing transfers of United States army anil navy equipment to Britain only after consultation with the military and naval chiefs, was adopted. The House tentatively inserted a provision in the Lend and Lease Bill enabling Congress to terminate the Presidential powers thereunder at any time by a majority approval of a resolution in both Houses. This is known as a concurrent resolution and does not require the President’s signature to become law. The United States War Secretary, Mr. H. L. Stimson, said that Britain and France were financing United States aircraft production early in the war and this would soon result in an enormously speeded-up war plane output. He added that strikes hampered the defence production very little compared with the last war. Mr. Rooesvelt signed a 313,000,000 dollars appropriation Bill to finance the immediate construction of 200 freighters.