NAVAL CLASH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 62, 14 March 1942, Page 5

NAVAL CLASH

U.S.A. AND JAPAN READINESS FOR COMBAT TEST OF OPPOSITION (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) Re<-. 11.25 p.m. New York, Mar. 12 Naval supremacy in the Pacific may be decided by a battle which a New York radio station declares to be imminent. American and Japai ese naval forces, it says, are now ma-| noeuvring for position in readiness for combat. Such an engagement has b"en anticipated by me Java authorities, who claim that Japan would not move large forces lor an attack on Australia without first testing the strength of the naval opposition which would threaten her lines of communication. The United States Under-Secretary of War stated: “The American Army and Navy are preparing to carry the war to the enemy. I cannot tell you where. The enemy will find out about it first.” Japan has lost 19 warships so far in the Pacific. This was admitted in the Diet by the Navy Minister, Admiral Shimada. He also conceded the loss of 27 transports. He claimed the Allies had lost 13" warships. inducing seven battleships, three air-craft carriers. 22 destroyers, and 44 submarines. and that the Japanese lost 122 planes hut destroyed 1554 planes. He emphasised that Japan had not | lost a single vessel above the cruiser • class. SCRAP IRON AND STEEL U.S. EXPORTS TO JAPAN Recd. 7.15 p.m. Washington, .March 12. Edwin Barringer, president of the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, told the House Military Affairs Committee to-dav that pre-war imports from the United States enabled Japan to ouilci up a reserve of iron and steel scrap of approximately 10000.000 tons, probably sufficient tc keep all Japanese plants at peak production for a £u:J year Barringer sa'd the United States in 1939 exported to Japan for do.OO) 9- ■ dollars worth of petroleum products and 56.000.000 dollars worth of raw cotton. The gross tonnage of scrap | exported to Japan increased from | 1.381.000 tons in 1938 to 2.026,000 ton; i in 1935.