LEND-LEASE AID

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 November 1943, Page 3

LEND-LEASE AID

OVERALL INVESTIGATION PROPOSED IN UNITED STATES. VOTE BY SENATE COMMITTEE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, November 11. The Appropriations Committee of the Senate voted for ' a complete overall investigation of lend-lease and other Government financial activities abroad. The “New York Times” points out that this action was taken only a few hours before President Roosevelt’s lend-lease message and the British White Paper on lend-lease. UNITY OF EFFORT EMPHASISED IN BRITISH WHITE PAPER. POSITION OF DOMINIONS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 11. The real union of the United Nations is given emphasis by a White Paper issued in London and the statement made to Congress by President Roosevelt on lend-lease. Both the White Paper and the President’s statement stress the unity of the effort against the common enemy and the sharing of resources wherever they are available. The White Paper explains 'that the cost of reciprocal aid in the colonies is entirely borne by his Majesty’s Government, but that the Dominions and India are responsible for their own arrangements. The Australian and New Zealand Governments have signed agreements and South Africa and India are giving reciprocal aid without a formal agreement. The paper states that Australia and New Zealand have given aid at their own expense on a scale which is large in proportion to their resources. The difficulty of evaluating these services in terms of money is stressed because mutual aid is a widespread, decentralised process, and it is impossible to obtain information from operational areas.

In addition, an accurate computation is out of the question because of the manpower which would be involved, “which,” says the paper, “could not be tolerated at -this stage of the war.” Rough computations have been made in some instances.

The capital installations in Britain to September 30 for the United States forces totalled £92,000,000 sterling, with a further £82,000,000 in respect of goods and services transferred in Britain, and £42,000,000 for shipping services. These figures are for one year only.

Goods transferred to Russia free of cost include nearly 4700 complete aircraft with their appropriate supplies and spares. In addition, Britain has opened a supply route across Persia and sent materials by sea involving hazardous naval operations. ■ Arms, military equipment, and munitions were also supplied free to China, and the Chinese troops in India were equipped by Britain.

Materials of all kinds are also being supplied to other allies in accordance with their needs. Britain has made very large cash contributions to finance the war abroad to the extent of £2,250,000,000 sterling. The proportion of British war expenditure devoted to mutual aid amounts to 10 per cent of the total. Lend-lease expenditure by the United States to May last was 12 per cent of the total United States war expenditure, Thus, “what w e give the United States as mutual aid in relation to our national income does not fall far short of what the United States gives to us,” it was said.