BLOCKADE ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 July 1940, Page 6

BLOCKADE ACTION

EXTENDED BY BRITAIN TO ALL SHIPS CROSSING ATLANTIC. INCLUSION OF FRENCH TERRITORY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 12.50 p.m.) RUGBY, July 30. The House of Commons heard two important statements bj' the Minister of Shipping, Mr Ronald Cross,, and the Minister of Economic Warfare. Dr Hugh Dalton, announcing measures which will ensure the continued efficiency of the relentless economic pressure being exerted by Britain upon Germany. Henceforth any consignment and any ship sailing to or from any European and certain other’ ports and not covered by a “navicert” will be liable to seizure. Dr Dalton explained the reasons for this decision and how the system would work. He denied that Britain intended to extend the blockade to certain neutral countries. Mr Cross intimated that shipping not taking advantage of the navicert sys-1 tern would no longer be given facilities under British control, such as bunkering. repairing and insurance. Mr Cross said: "The German occupation of the West European coastline from the North Cape to the Pyrenees has greatly changed the conditions of the economic war and we must now control not only shipping approaching the Mediterranean or the North Sea, but all shipping crossing the Atlantic. Thus ships sailing from neutral ports in North Africa must have navicerts. Dr Dalton also announced: “After a most careful review of all tne circumstances Britain has now decided with regret that in the present conditions it must treat all metropolitan France as well as Algeria, Tunisia and French Morocco in the same manner for the purposes of contraband and enemy export control as an enemy controlled territory." OIL FOR SPAIN IMPORTS MUCH INCREASED , RESTRICTIONS NECESSARY. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, Noon). LONDON. July 30. Dr Dalton, in the House of Commons, announced that the government was sending a representative from the Ministry of Economic "Warfare to Spain to confer with the authorities regarding the oil position. The Government desires Spain to receive adequate supplies for her own consumption, but not for export. Oil shipments to Spain from the United States for the first half of 1940 were substantially greater than in the corresponding period of i 1939. “We have no evidence of Spanish reexports of lubricating oil to Germany,” said Dr Dalton. “But the stocks in Spain appeared to bo so high relative to internal consumption that | no navicerts for imports are being issued.” Before the collapse of France. Dr Dalton stated, the only route by which oil reached Germany from Spain was by sea across the Western Mediterranean and through Italy, and the French naval forces had been relied on to prevent this traffic. Since the collapse of France many features of the situation had become obscure. Hence the Government was sending an officer to Spain.