GIANT CARGO PLANES

Evening Star, Issue 24293, 7 September 1942, Page 4

GIANT CARGO PLANES

SCEPTICAL AMERICAN OFFICIALS NEW YORK, Sept. 5. The Washington correspondent of the New York ‘ Herald-Tribune ’ says the War Production Board’s special committee which is investigating; Mr Henry Kaiser’s i>lnn for mass production of giant cargo-carrying planes has submitted an unfavourable report to the chairman, Mr D. W. Nelson. Mr Kaiser and his associate, Mr Howard Hughes, furnished the committee with only rough sketches of the cargo plane they plan to build. Mr Kaiser was also very vague concerning where ho could obtain aluminium, steel, and_ machine tools for the scheme without interfering with the current war production programme. Ho is expected here on Wednesday to confer with Mr Nelson and high army and navy officers, but unless he brings now evidence to convince sceptical officials he will probably be firmly turned down.

Government officials pointed out that the present aircraft programme includes a large proportion of cargo planes which Lieutenant-general Arnold has estimated at 21 per cent, of the total output for the last half of ISM2. In August the aircraft industry built 15,000,000 dollars’ worth of cargo E lanes, some of which were converted to eavy bombers.

WOULD NOT SOLVE SHIPPING PROBLEM (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 8 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 6. A Chicago message says Mr Eddie Rickenbacker said Sir Kaiser’s cargo plane programme would not solve the shipping problem. He asserted that the aircraft industry was now building cargo planes, but it was handicapped by a shortage of materials. If the industry had the materials, he added, it would increase the output 50 per cent. “ You cannot build enough planes to replace ships on the high seas. Furthermore, there is not enough harbour space available for the proposed 5,000 cargo planes.” ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES ROUND-UP OF ENEMY ALIENS NEW YORK, September 5. _ In one of tho largest east coast raids since the attack on Pearl Harbour, tho Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 142 men and women enemy aliens in New York city and the suburban area. The prisoners include 116 Germans, 15 Japanese, and 11 Italians. One Japanese had minutely detailed maps of the Pacific coast and also charts of the entire Pacific war theatre. The Government has rounded up a total of 1,802 dangerous aliens since the beginning of the war in a campaign to disrupt organised aid to the enemy along the Atlantic seaboard. The Cuban police have announced the arrest of Heinz Liming, 31-yoar-old German, described as one of the most important spies yet captured in America. Luning confessed to widespread espionage activities, including the transmission by radio and coded letters of information concerning the arrival at and departure from Culba of Allied! and neutral ships. The police indicated that Luning would escape a firing squad by becoming a Government witness.

THE DUKE OF KENT REBURIAL AT WINDSOR LONDON, September 5. The body of the Duke of Kent will be reburied in the Royal Family’s private cemetery at Windsor Castle, at the wish of the Duchess, who wants personally to care for the grave. The King readily gave his consent, and the body will lie removed from the Royal tomb privately without ceremony. The Duchess herself has chosen the site for the new grave.

BAYONETED BY JAPANESE INDIAN'S TERRIBLE ORDEAL BOMBAY, September 5. Remarkable courage and endurance were shown by Rifleman Singh, of the Seventh Burma Rifles, who has reached a British most after having been captured in Burma by the Japanese and seriously wounded by bayonet thrusts. Singh saw the Japanese bayonet handtied troops, including an officer, (before his turn came. He lost consciousness soon after the third bayonet thrust, which entered his back So deeply that the Japanese murderer had to press down his foot in order to withdraw the blade. Singh regained consciousness alter three° davs. He was blood-smeared and swarming with ants. The Japanese had gone, and the bodies of his comrades were lying about. In spite of the terrible pain, Singh stumbled crouching through the jungle until villagers found him and cut the pullthrough with which his hands were tied. He reached a British post after walking for 16 days through the jungle. General Sir Archibald Waved paid a tribute to Singh’s courage and endurance.

DIEPPE RAID CANADIAN CASUALTIES OTTAWA, Sept. 5. Adjutant-general Letson has announced that the total of Canadian soldiers known, to have been killed in the Dieppe raid is 170, while the wounded number 626. In addition, a much larger unspecified number is listed as missing. GERMAN VERSION LONDON, Sept. 5. The encmv briefly raided the south coast and dropped leaflets which the people early to-day were seeking for souvenirs. The leaflet is a four-page pictorial folder claiming that the Dieppe raid was an attempt to open a second front. The pictures are apparently intended to emphasise the failure of the expedition, but they show nothing which was not printed in British newspapers. In one of the pictures the Tommies are playing cards and are certainly not down-hearted.