STOP PRESS NEWS

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21367, 11 March 1941, Page 4

STOP PRESS NEWS

FRENCH CHARGES REPLY BY BRITAIN VICHY. March 10 Adm-rai Darlari said the British have seized fourteen French ships since January. He appealed to Britain and America to allow the importation of 500.000 tons of wheat, without which rations in France would be reduced to two slices of bread daily. The Germans continued to use German gram to feed the army of occupation, although they held 70,000 tons of French grain. Replying to Admiral Oarlan's threat, to use warships to convoy merchantmen, the spokesman of the British Ministry of Economic Warfare said the Germans may have released two million quintals of wheat for France, hut this is scarcely generous, because they are only returning a fraction of the wheat looted from France in the last ten months. If there are any means of helping unoccupied France without helping Germany the British Government is willing to consider them, but so far there has been no proposal from France. They must remember that the French Government has accepted the nrinciple of ecenomic co-operation with Germany, Admiral Oarlan may be responsible tor feeding 40,000,000 people in France. Britain hnwouan , , 'cam, nowever, is fighting to free many times more than 40,00b,000 enslaved people in Europe, including the self-same France. The American relief ship Cold Harbour, Which Britain allowed to pass tho blockade, has arrived at Marseilles with milk and medical supplies valued at £250,000 for French children. The American Red Cross is distributing the cargo. Admiral Leahy announced that the Exmouth, another Red Cross ship, wifi arrive in three weekß. He added: ‘The supplies are the American people's nift to France, as a symbol of sympathy. I hope it will be possible to send increasing quantities for distribution tg civilians in unoccupied France,”