MORE ACUTE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1943, Page 3

MORE ACUTE

STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL POWER IN FRENCH NORTH AFRICA. NEED OF FOOD & CLOTHING. (By .Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 12. The political crisis in North Africa has become more acute, and in a few days new men may be placed in positions of authority, says the Columbia Broadcasting system’s correspondent in a broadcast from Allied headquarters. The real motive for Admiral Darlan’s assassination has not yet been established, but those who had him killed did so for a reason and that reason is tied up with the struggle for power now going on. After 10 weeks’ occupation of Algiers and Dakar, the French and the Arabs are asking: “Where is the food and clothing promised by the Americans?” says the British United Press Algiers correspondent. Admiral Glassford, chief of the United States mission in North Africa, touched on the problem at Dakar today ,saying that half a shipload of food and clothing, particularly of rice and cotton goods, would be a very important factor in building up morale. He knew that this matter was of prime importance to colonies which had been starved economically for years. The Allies had gained considerable shipping at Dakar, but some time must ensue before they would be in a position to fight a mod-ern-equipped naval enemy. The correspondent says that the situation at Dakar is typical of all parts of French North Africa where the German-Italian commission stripped the countries to the bone. Most of the Allied shipments hitherto have been men, equipment and munitions.