DANGER OF DELAY

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21365, 8 March 1941, Page 10

DANGER OF DELAY

HELP FOR BRITAIN MENACE TO AMERICA EXTENSION OF SERVICE iUnitea Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received March 8, 3.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON. March 7 President Roosevelt said today that Congressional delay in enacting the Lend and Lease Aid Bill will inevitably slow down delivery of war materials to the embattled democracies. In letters to Senators Walsh and Lodge, Mr Compton, president of the Massachusetts Technology Institute, predicts that further delay in disposing of the Lend and Lease Air Bill will bring dictatorship to this country. Delays and tactics which are tolerated in normal times become intolerable in an emergency. The War Department intends to ask Congress for authority to keep the National Guard in service for an additional six months or a year. Demobilisation after the conclusion of the current year might create a serious situation because of the shortage of trained man-power to train selective service recruits called to the colours under the continuous process. Expansion of Army Some difficulties would be offset by the expansion of the Regular Army, which now totals 500,000 officers and men. General Marshall, Chief of Staff, feels that a second year’s service for the National Guards is -advisable in the light of the present international outlook, and considers a minimum of six months indispensable. He expects that 1,418,000 men will be in the service by the end of June. Mr Roosevelt Opposes Strikes Mr Roosevelt told the Press Conference today that he is absolutely opposed to jurisdictional labour strikes, which are holding up several phases of the national defence programme. Mr Roosevelt feels that the country as a whole does not approve in any shape or form of a jurisdictional strike such as the American Federation of Labour walk-out at Dayton, which slowed down most important work at the Wright Field expansion programme. Mr Roosevelt added that he had not found a solution, but is convinced of the necessity for establishing overall Federal mediation mechanism to handle problems of labour.

NAVAL BOMBARDMENT CO-OPERATION WITH ARMY GREAT DAMAGE CAUSED k. E RAIDER BASES CAPTURED (Offlclai Wireless) (Received March 8, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY. March 7 An Admiralty communique states: “It is now possible to give some details of the naval support afforded our Army in Italian Somaliland during the advance in the coastal area. All the important Italian positions along the coast were bombarded by our naval units, these bombardments being carefully timed to co-ordinate with the military advance. The military objectives of Kismayu, Brava and Mogadiscio were bombarded by our naval forces. Evidence secured by the subsequent occupation of these areas testifies to the effectiveness of these bombardments. In particular it is now known that the bombardments of Italian positions in the Brava area carried out in the forenoon of February 22 were conspicuously successful. Hits were scored on military buildings and positions, and enemy motor transport sheltering under the trees was heavily shelled. It is now known that this bombardment caused great damage and a large number of military casualties, and was an important factor leading to the enemy’s evacuation of strong defensive positions in this area. No damage or casualties were sustained by our forces in any of these bombardments. One important naval result of the successful military operations in Italian Somaliland is that the capture of Kismayu and Mogadiscio has deprived the enemy of two important bases most convenient for use by commerce raiders and their supply ships. That Mogadiscio was used as a base for raiders and their supply ships is shown by the discovery and release by our Army of a considerable number of merchant seamen who had been landed and interned in the Mogadiscio area after their ships had been sunk by enemy raiders.

HONOURED BY.KING THREE NORWEGIAN SAILORS AWARDED THE D.S.M. (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, March 6 Three Norwegian sailors who have been awarded the D.S.M. were decorated by the King when His Majesty visited Rosyth Dockyard. The King held a small Investiture in the dockyard cinema. Seven British naval ratings were also decorated. The crews of Norwegian, Polish and British warships watched the King pin medals on the Norwegians and talk with them. The King spent nearly three hours in Rosyth Dockyard, where he went aboard two British ships. He also visited minesweepers and inspected Norwegian and Belgian sailors. Earlier in the day the King and Queen visited Edinburgh. Their Majesties inspected factories, at one of which the Queen named a catapult used for launching aeroplanes from warships. She said: “May it successfully launch its aeroplanes and pilots, proridmg wide-range eyes for the mother snip.”