FORCES & SUPPLIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 January 1942, Page 3

FORCES & SUPPLIES

FOR SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC EXCELLENT PROGRESS. REPORTED BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 20. In Washington today President Roosevelt said that supplies and reinforcements were being sent to the south-west Pacific, and very excellent progress was being made to strengthen the position of the United States there. The Saigon (Japanese-controlled) radio declared that Japanese reconnaissance pilots had reported the arrival at Singapore of three 30,000-ton battleships. It is not known whether they are British or American. DEFENCE OF SINGAPORE. In an interview in Washington, Dr. Van Mock, Lieutenant-Governor-Gen-eral of the Netherlands East Indies, admitted that Singapore was already lost as a naval base, but argued that if the Japanese can be kept from occupying the city it can be used in future as a point of departure for a powerful counter-offensive simultaneously with a drive from Burma. “The main task is to keep the Jap-, anese from penetrating south of the Equator,” he said. “This can be done mainly by air power. What we need most is bombers and fighters. We need also submarines, to make it difficult for the Japanese to bring their trans-, ports across the seas. Darwin, Java and. Sumatra can be defended if we have sufficient aircraft.” Dr. Van Mook told the Press: “I am less pessimistic than when I came here

a fortnight ago,” but refused to comment on the reason for this change of attitude. .

After conferring with Mr Roosevelt, Dr. Van Mook said the President gave him a lot of good news regarding the effort to strengthen the Far East. Dr. Van Mook predicted that the Dutch would hold out in the Indies. “Real efforts are being made to get the necessary implements of war out there,” he said.