LEND-LEASE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 6, 8 January 1944, Page 4

LEND-LEASE

TRANSACTIONS LISTED “WAR WILL BE MUCH SHORTER AS A RESULT” Recd. 6 p.m. Rugby, Jan. 6. A wealth of detail about vital United Nations war transactions is contained in the lates United States Lend-Lease report. The cost of LendLease aid from March, 1941, tn the end of November last was 13.5 per cent, of all United States war expenditure. The report states:— “American food is helping to maintain the rations of the Soviet Army, British soldiers and war workers, a r d others on the front or behind tne lines. Lend-Lease is an essential element of the United Nations strategy to win, principally with their own weapons. Their factories use principally their own raw materia! equipment. Their peoples raise most of the food they eat, but Lend-Lease supplies have been an essential supplement to their own resources. “Aeroplanes, guns, raw materials,, food, and other goods transferred, were 87 per cent, of the total aid to date. Transfers of finished munitions were 53 per cent, of the total. Industrial items were 21 per cent., and foodstuffs and other agricultural products 13 per cent, of the total. “This upward trend has been du? in large part to the sharp rise in aircraft ordnance and other munitions transferred. Munitions were 61 per cent, in the first 11 months of 1943. “Rental and charter ships, and ferrying of aircraft were the most important services, being over half the value of all services. “Much of the balance consisted, in training of combat pilots, repair of warships and merchantmen, assembly of aircraft abroad, and similar war services.

“Over 600,000,000 dollars has been expended on guns, aeroplanes, and other war production facilities in the United States. This represented a substantial addition to our own industrial capacity. These plants have not been transferred to foreign Governments, and some are producing munitions for our armed forces. “Our Allies have been able to strike damaging blows, and are fighting more strongly than ever by the side of our own forces. The war will be much shorter for it.

“This, of course, is the principal war benefit the United States is receiving directlv. As reverse without payment, substantial supplies have been provided by the Alfies within the limits of their material and financial resources. Up to last June the United Kingdom snent for reverse Lend-Lease to the United States 871,000,000 dollars. New Zealand 51.000,000, and India 57,000.000. The figures did not include supolies and services to United States forces in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and elsewhere. Similar aid is being nrovided by Belgians and French. The United Kingdom, New Zealand, and India also agreed to provide without payment raw materials, commodities, and foodstuffs previously purchased by us in Southern Rhodesia and the Colonial Empire. Similar arrangements are under negotiation with South Africa and Australia. Shipping For Supplies. “British shipping to cairy these supplies, which include such strategical materials as rubber, rope fibre, chrome, cocoa, tea and oils, is also under reverse Lend-Lease. The French, similarly, have undertaken to supply strategical materials in North Africa. We are also receiving reverse aid as need arises in China and the Soviet Union. Both have had to strain their own manpower, transportation and other resources to the utmost in lighting our enemies on their soil, and have not been in a position to provide large amounts of aid.

“Jhe real measure of aid we and other United Nations have received from China is the six and a-half years during which our indomitable ally engaged the Japanese armies with everincreasing losses to the Japanese. The real measure of aid we and other United Nations have received from the Soviet people is to be found at Stalingrad, Kharkov and Kiev and in millions of Nazi „oldiers killed, wounded and captured who would not be able to oppose our forces in western Europe and so, with all our fighting allies—the British, whose forces fought a Mediterranean campaign considerably larger than our own, the French who fought with us in Tunisia aiyl are fighting now not only in Italy 1 but as an heroic army in underground resistance in France itself. The cost of reverse aid, great as it is, is no sure measure of the help we receive from our allies and our principal allies have contributed fully in pre* portion to their resources. The total of United States war expenditures, including increased from one-third last year to one-half this year of the national income.” The report continues:—“Shipments to the Soviet Union have been over a quarter of the Lend-Lease exports to all countries. In the first 10 months of this year, the shipments were 63 per cent, higher than in the whole of 1942. In October we sent the Soviet nearly 7000 planes—more than any other Lend-Lease country—over 3nvU tanks, and 195,000 motor vehicles, including trucks, jeeps and motorcycles. W’e also shipped 1,790,000 tons of food and agricultural products. These have been largely in which production has fallen far short of requirements, including wheat, flour, sugar, canned meat, edible fats, oils a.nd dried fruits and vegetables. The Soviet has urgently requested butter for its army, particularly for the many wounded soldiers recuperating in hospitals, and we were able to send 33,400 tons. No butter has been scheduled for Lend-Lease export to any otner country, and the United States received as reverse Lend-Lease 8250 tons of butter from Australia and New Zealand for its Pacific forces. “We have also sent to Russia 10,000 tons of seeds for 30 staple crops, 5,500,000 pairs of army boots, 16,600,000 yards of woollen cloth, 251,000 tons of chemicals, 144,000 tons of explosives, 1,198,000 tons of steel. 342,000 tons ol non-ferrous metals and 611,000 tons of petroleum,” the report continues. “Lend-Lease exports to the United Kingdom totalled nearly 6000,000.000 dollars or 43 per cent, of the shipments 1o all areas. Military items have been 40 per cent, of the total, divided equally amongst three major categories namely ordnance and ammuni tion, aircraft and parts and tanks and other motor vehicles. Industrial items have be,on 26 per cent, and foodstuffs and agricultural products the remaining 34 per cent. There has been a sharp increase in exports of munitions to the United Kingdom, the! value of tanks anq parts sent this \ear being over none and a-half times ihe combined total oJ 1941 and 1942. Concentrated Foods. “Although the food sent was only 10 per cent, of the British total requirt ments, it represented the difference between having and not having enough 1 carrv on effectively the war effort. The foods have been mainly concentrated varieties of high food value essential to the health of the armed forces and munition workers, vet requiring the minimum space. The British supplied our soldiers with fresh vegetables, flour, potatoes, cocoa and lea all foods grown in Brit an < r the Colonial Empire " [ Lend-Lease a«l had involved hundreds of special projects, the report