ON WAR BASIS

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1940, Page 8

ON WAR BASIS

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

DUTCH EAST 1NDIES DEFENCE PREPARATION JAPAN SEEKING OIL

Rec. 5.5 p.m. London, Sept. 9. The Japanese delegation when it arrives on Thursday will find the Dutch East Indies on a virtual war footing, with bomb shelters constructed and other air raid precautions organised, says the British United Press correspondent at Batavia. Volunteer forces are training under martial law and include anti-parachute units. There is great public satisfaction at the arrival of a shipment of Curtiss fighters from America. OE experts now meeting at Manila and Batavia are confronted with decisions of the gravest importance to the future o£ Australia and New Zealand, and all lands comprised in Japan's undefined "southward expansion," says a New York correspondent. Fuel for Japanese Forces. 0

The outcome is most hkely to determine whether the Netherlands East Indies will replace California as the main source of Japanese military and naval fuel. Commenting on this situation, the Oil and Gas Journal says the United States regulations reduced oil exports in August to Japan by 50 per cent. compared with July. Thus there is an increased possibility of a Japanese move to obtain a major say in the East Indies. Japan has only 40 tankers, with a capacity of 530,000 tons, capable of dealing with such supplies. The alternative Mexican supplies are ruled out, as the Yokohama-Tampico route is 18,000 miles return, whereas the Yokohama-Balik (East Bomeo) return journey is only 2700 miles. The Netherlands East Indies in 1939 exported 48,300,000 barrels, of which 11,7:3,000 went to Singapore. The journal adds: "Britain is further interested in maintaining Dutch control in the properties by the fact that Australia and New Zealand and many British bases obtain supplies from the Indies. "Shell interests dominate the position with most production and a 100 per cent. refining capacity."