AID FOR BRITAIN BILL PASSED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 34, 10 February 1941, Page 6

AID FOR BRITAIN BILL PASSED

SENT TO THE SENATE SOME MINOR AMENDMENTS •FRIENDLY LIMIT” SET TO USE OF EXISTING ARMS (gj Telegraph—Pr**s Aeeociat oi» Received Feb. 9. 9.39 pan. WASHINGTON. Feb. >. The House passed and sent to the Senate the Aid Ho Britain) Bill, by 260 votes to 165. substantially' in accord with Administration wishes. Before the final vote >»ie House rejected by 263 vote io 160 Senator Fish’s attempt to recommit the Bill to the Foreign Affairs Committee —which would have killed the Bill It. also rejected. by 122 votes to 38, a Wadsworth amendment to limit the aid to 7000,000.000 dollars, and claiming that “a reasonablecheek on expenditure would make a lot of people feel better.” It earlier rejected an Eaton amendment to limit the programme to 2000,000,000 dollars for Britain olllv.

The House adopted, on the voices, a committee amendement require the President to report to Congress on British aid transactions at least each 90 days. Amendments rejected included proposals to prohibit the President sending American soldiers outside the Western Hemisphere without the consent of Congress, to prevent the President transferring abroad more than one-third of the warplanes on hand or ordered, to permit the president to withhold reports to Congress if it is deemed that disclosure is incompatible with the public interest. The House revised the Lend and Lease Bill—perfected an amendment making 1,300.000 dollars the maximum of “on-hand-or-on-order" military naval equipment which Mr. Roosevelt could send abroad under the measure. The effect of It was to clarify the meaning of an amendment adopted late on Friday. The amendment applies only to present stocks of Army, Navy and Marine Corps equipment, including that contracted for during the current fiscal year, and does not limit in any way future appropriations, which may be made directly under the Lend and Lease Bill, or equipment that will be acquired by the United States Armed Forces under the appropriations Mr. Roosevelt seeks for the next fiscal year. Senator Fish made three unsuccessful attempts in the course of the day to defeat or alter the Bill. The House rejected, ty 147 to 70 votes, a . Fish amendment to eliminate provision for rhe use of American ports and bases for the repair of British ships. The House adjourned on Friday bringing the Bill to the verge of passage. after accepting a temporary limitation of 1,300 000.000 dollars on the amount of war materials than can be shipped abroad. The House amended the Bill providing that a maximum of 10 per cent, of the defence equipment for the army and navy from the current year’s appropriations may be transferred. Mr. S. Bloom. Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, offered the proposal as a substitute for a Republican amendment placing a limit of 500,000.000 dollars on material to be sent abroad. Mr. Rayburn later said the ame.tdment was merely a “friendly limitation” on the amount of material that could be transferred from existing equipment, or equipment being made. He indicated that the amendment had not been submitted to the executive of department for approval. He then said that 10 per cent., representing 1,300.000 000 dollars’ worth of equip-i ment. thus allowed, was more than what was needed until the appropriations would be started and equipment ’ manufactured under the Bill's pro-j posed buying programme, which is separate. Hence the amendment does | not weaken the effectiveness of the Bill, but meets the Republican argument that the original form of the Bill enabled the President to sell or transfer all army equipment, or the entire navy. Mr. W. F. George (Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee' said he expected the Bill would come before the Senate late next week. The Senate Committee completes its hearings on Tuesday with Mr. Wendell Willkie’s evidence. BILL DENOUNCED. Mr. Landon (Republican and former candidate for United States Presidency), testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, denounced the Lend and Lease Bill as “a guess and be damned policy,” under which Congress would abdicate and give President Roosevelt unlimited powers to police the world by force, using all the United States resources and man-power. Mr. Landon urged Congress to "keep control -of the aid we send to England.” He advocated gifts totalling billions of dollars to assist Britain’s war effort. However, he insisted that the United States primary need now was "deliberation in Congress and speed in factories.” He stresses that the November elections gave Mr. RooseVeit no mandate to grant Britain unlimited aid. nor did it give unlimited powers to the Presidency. “If it is essential to our security for England to win the war, then let us cease fooling around with this lend and Lease Bill,” said Mr. Landon. If we intend to tell England the ‘Yanks are coming,’ the sooner we let England know it the better- We can c.icrdinrte our activities with theirs. If the Yanks are not coming, the English are entitled to know that.” Mr. Landon declared that a Congressional enactment of the Lend and Lease Bill v- ould automatically repeal the Declaration of Panama, because it would allow belligerent warships to make repairs in United States ports- He asked whether Congress intended to authorise Mr. Roosevelt to also use unlimited United States ISSOUIfiei ISStor# Holland, Bet-

gium, Denmark, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Lritiva and also the French Empire, and “to guarantee territories of the British Empire forever” and also drive the Japanese from China. After the vote on the Aid Bill was announced the Republican leader, Mr. Martin, issued a statement that he regretted he was unable to conscientiously vote for the Bill. “I fully realise the desirability of a British triumph .... but I believe that in its present form the Bill is the longest step t,he nation has taken toward direct involvement in wars i abroad,” he said. COLONEL LINDBERGH SUGGESTION THAT HE BE DEPORTED Received Feb 8. 6.30 p..,i. AUSTIN'(Texas). Feb. 7. A resolution asking that Colonel Lindbergh “be reduced to the rank of private and deported to whatever part of Hitler-controlled territory he may choose,” has been offered in the Texas House of Representatives. Recently, Colonel Lindbergh, giving evidence on the Lend or Lease (to Britain) Bill, expressed the opinion that Britain could not win the war and that it was preferable that a negotiated peace be sought.

AMERICAN WOMEN’S DELEGATION PREPARED TO NEGOTIATE PEACE Received Feb. 9, 9.30 p.m WASHINGTON, Feb. 8. Mrs. Charles Broy, wife of the American Consul at Brussels and head of the Americans United Incorporated, which is reputed to represent millions of men, told the Foreign Relations Committee that the organisation was prepared to offer to send a delegation to discuss a negotiated peace with Hitler, provided President Roosevelt and Americans approved. ADMITTED TO SECRETS OF DEFENCE MR. ROOSEVELT’S REPRESENTATIVE IN BRITAIN ARRIVAL IN LISBON Received Feb 9. 6.40 p.m. LONDON. Feb. 8. Reports from Lisbon state that Mr. Harry Hopkins. President Roosevelt’s representative in London, arrived from London. Mr. Hopkins visited many parts ol Britain and talked -.--ith '-epresentative people. He was admitted to the | innermost secrets of Britain's defence,