AMERICAN DEFENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 August 1940, Page 5

AMERICAN DEFENCE

MOBILISATION OF NATIONAL GUARD CHANCES AGAINST FOREIGN SERVICE. GRAVITY OF THE EXISTING SITUATION. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 9.20 a.m.) HYDE PARK, August 9. President Roosevelt stated that it was a hundred to one chance against the National Guardsmen or American regulars being assigned to active service outside the United States or its possessions. Under the National Guard Mobilisation Bill, the President’s power was to assign them to any part of the Western hemisphere. President Roosevelt said he was meeting Mr Donovan and Colonel Knox tomorrow at Portsmouth, during a tour of the north-eastern defences. He declined to comment on Mr Donovan’s mission to England and said he would hear Mr Donovan’s report. President Roosevelt emphasised the gravity with which he viewed the situation, saying that his tour of the defences would not be allowed to take him over 12 to 14 hours’ train distance from Washington. Asked whether the British withdrawal from China would affect the United States Far East policy, President Roosevelt replied that he had not the faintest idea.

ARMS CONTRACTS PLANT EXPANSION PROBLEMS. STATEMENT BY MR STIMSON. (Received This Dav, 9.20 a.m.) WASHINGTON, August 9. Mr Stimson (Secretary for War) told the Congressional tax committee that the War Department had been able to sign contracts only for 33 warplanes, although moneys had been available for seven weeks to construct 4000. He said the chief stumbling block was the lack of a satisfactory amortisation programme, whereby manufacturers would receive tax concessions to repay them for the expenses of necessary plant expansion. He added that the difficulty was encountered throughout the arms industry. He denied that manufacturers were not co-operating. OUTPUT OF PLANES ANTICIPATED EXPANSION. • WASHINGTON, August 9. The Defence Production Co-ordina-tor, Mr W. S. Knudsen, in an interview, said the present plane production, of 900 a month should reach 1500 in January and would increase steadily thereafter.

He expressed the opinion that there would be substantial deliveries of planes, tanks and guns by February 1.