U.S. MACHINERY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 7, 10 January 1944, Page 3

U.S. MACHINERY

LEND-LEASE AIDS BRITAIN Recd. 6 p.m. Rugby, Jan. 7. The dependence of the United Nations on the United States as far as machinery is concerned has been virtually complete, according to the latest United States Lend-Lease report. The United States has been shipping to Britain during the past two and a-half years 2 per cent, of the machinery, with the help of which 8,000,000 acres have been brought ihto farm production. Whereas before the war the British imported two pounds of food for every pound they raised, now they raise two pounds for every one that is imported. Bombers take off from long, level fields which four years ago were among the best farms. New acreage has had to be created from marshes, and hammered out of the rough soil of hills in the west country. These marginal lands could not be drained, cleared, and converted for food production without the heavy type of farm power which is available only in America. The United States troops in Australia and New Zealand are being fed almost entirely locally under LendLease. This would have been virtually impossible without United States farm machinery. The United States has sent machinery worth over a million dollars to India to assist that country to meet its critical food shortages. Smaller amounts have been sent to North Africa and the Middle East. North Africa is now producing food not only for her own population, but for the armed forces and southern Italy. Hundreds of thousands of tons of shipping space have been saved by the increases in food production achieved by the countries in the Middle East. Building of Airfields. “The British, under reverse aid, have built a great number of airfields for United States forces and Britain, like the United States, has spent several hundred million dollars building various parts of the world airfields essential for the carrying on of the war,” the report concludes. “These are being used by many United Nations and supplies from the United States used in building or equipped airfields in the fiends of the Allies were furnished under the Lend-Lease Act. The Act provides that benefit to the United States may be payment or repayment in kind or property, or any other direct or indirect benefit the President deems satisfactory. Final determination of the benefit is deferred until the extent of the defence aid is known and the progress of events makes clear the final terms and conditions of the benefits which will he in the mutual interests of the United States and the countries receiving her aid. The equipment of all airfields abroad will be fully taken into account in the final summing up for strategic commercial purposes and involves many other factors beside Lend-Lease. A final and complete answer can be found only through continuing the successful collaboration of the United Nations in international commerce after the war and the development of a system of general military security in which the interests of the United States and other United Nations are fully protected.”— 8.0.W.