REVISION BILL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20056, 30 September 1939, Page 5

REVISION BILL

SUPPORT GAINS STRENGTH TERMS OF THE MEASURE CREDIT DEFAULTERS EFFECT ON SHIPPING (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Sept. 30, 11.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 29. Under the terms of the Neutrality Bill to come before Congress, restrictions would be lifted on American vessels operating in the western hemisphere, carrying mails, passengers and personal baggage.

A further section which has not yet been technically worded seeks to exempt United States commercial aeroplanes flying in the Pacific. Regarding credits, any nation defaulting for three months will be denied additional credits, thus amending the original provision under which the President had discretionary powers to grant extensions. The chairman of the Republican national committee. Mr. Hamilton, disagreed with the suggestion for an adjournment of partisanship during the war crisis. He said that the very fact that domestic problems had increased proved the necessity to balance the wheel in politics. However, there should be no partisanship in the matter by the neutrality revision. Comment Declined President Roosevelt declined to comment on Mr. Hamilton's remarks concerning partisanship during the war crisis. Mr. Roosevelt referred questioners to his address of September 21, in which he said: “These perilous days demand co-operation without trace of partisanship,” and “I urge those seeking to retain the embargo to be consistent and seek legislation to prevent the sale of copper, meat, wheat, cloth and a thousand other articles to belligerents.” Senator Pittman elucidated credit as a feature of the neutrality measure, setting out that any nation defauling for three months will be denied additional credits, thus amending the original provision under which the President had discretionary powers of extension. Senator Pittman said that the bill would modify the Johnson Act of September 15 permitting war debt defaulters 90-day commercial credits, if the President so authorises.

Mr. Johnson immediately countered this by saying he would offer an amendment to the Neutrality Bill preventing the modification of the Johnson Act.

Senator Pittman, in a statement, said that Britain and France, under the Johnson Act, would not get the credits that Germany could. There ought not to be any discrimination. Strength in Senate

The Washington correspondent of the New York Sun states that the administration forces seeking the repeal of the embargo gained strength heavily in the Senate during the past week. A careful poll shows that the administration would have a majority of two or three to-day. The opposition ranks nave been losing strength. The Washington correspondent of the North American Newspaper Alliance states that, as drafted, the Neutrality Bill will virtually sweep the American merchant marine from the seas, on which it is now being maintained at a great expense to the American Government, but this is the extreme alternative, only cleverly designed, that will produce .a compromise, namely, some tempering of the President’s powers to proclaim combat areas by Congressional supervision. Thus, practically speaking, only one combat area, namely, the North Atlantic, would have been proclaimed, and American ships normally in the North Atlantic trade might be employed on routes from which British and French ships wefe withdrawn.

Favouring Compromise

With labour, capital and national interest all on the side of this compromise, its chances of acceptance seem pretty good. Mr. Roosevelt, at a press conference, reiterated his conviction that the United States would be able to abstain from war in Europe, and since the United States was not at war and not going to be he saw no public interest in war and industrial' mobilisation plans being now considered by various Government and private boards. He added that prices were being investigated with the idea of preventing an increase in the cost of living, and certainly he would not permit prices to go through the roof.

The President concluded that the American neutrality patrol and other sources were hearing unconfirmed reports of submarines operating off American coastal waters.

It was suggested that the President should define additional combat areas when required to protect citizens, but first he must name the States involved in the war, and merchantmen would not be allowed to proceed to them.