SHIPPING LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 April 1942, Page 4

SHIPPING LOSSES

ADMIRAL LAND ADMITS SERIOUS INCREASE ABUSE OF PATENT RIGHTS MADE AVAILABLE TO ENEMY. OUTSPOKEN DENUNCIATION, (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.) WASHINGTON, April 13. Asked whether shipbuilding was ahead of naval losses in recent months, Admiral Land (chairman of the Maritime Commission) declined to answer, but said that sinkings in February and March were extremely serious. He expressed the opinion that labour would be willing to work for 48 hours a week without overtime pay if capital made the same sacrifices. “Contractors don’t get by with excessive profits under our cost .accounting system,” Admiral Land declared. Mr Vinson (chairman of' the House of Representatives Naval Committee) said the committee’s investigations had resulted in the re-negotiation of scores of war contracts, with a resultant saving of 150 million dollars to the Government. Mr Vinson said his legislation was designed to make sacrifices fall on both necks, by extending the working week and limiting and prohibiting excessive salary increases of executives. _ The chairman of the Patents Committee (Mr Bone) told the Naval Committee that Congressional investigations indicated that a system of cartel and contractual agreements had made available to our actual and potential enemies secrets vital to defence. He said: "These events will present a strange picture to the future historian, and it is vital that we should know to what extent the rights and privileges we have granted to individuals under our patent law have been abused and have brought aid and comfort to the enemy in this hour of trial. Mr Bone asserted that: “The mobilisation of manpower not only .invites ; bu makes imperative the mobilisation of our dollars, and every form of pro perty right under the American Flag, am'ong which are monopoly der our patent system. That these should be made freely and available to the Government m its hour of peril, and so not hinder or impede the war effort or add unduly to costs, seems too clear to cavil at or dispute.