Evening star., 1940-08-07
Purchases
Continued From First Paqe.l

vast and invulnerable capacity of
North America has immensely in
creased since the fall of France"
While but few months ago we
were placing orders with American
industry to supplement the deficien-
cies in combined Allied production, I"
Mr.. Greenwood declared. I'VE now
| need to embark on much more ex-
tensive program which must be re-
lated to the American defense prep
aration."
The staff assisting the British
Purchasing Commission in the
United States will be augmented "by
experts with practical experience
such as the United States have not
had in the production and operation
of different types of armament" Mr.
Greenwood said.
Prices Held Down.
"Our object is Britain completely
mobilized. econically.
Our object is to keep down the
prices of necessities and we are
spending considerable sums to do it.
The policy of anchoring the prices
of essential commodities will be con-
tinued to insure the unimpaired
health of the nation"
Turning to shipping, which he said
was mot too bad" he warned that
"our ports and shipping will be
among the main objectives of the
enemy's attacks"
Starvation of the people of this
| country is impossible" Mr.. Green
wood declared.
He concluded with resume of
efforts to increase food stocks End
to reduce the intake of commodities
which are mot indispensable"
Heads Economic Committee.
Mr.. Greenwood said there had
been organized a committee COM
posed of himself as chairman,
Neville Chamberlain and Sir Kings
ley Wood to direct the nations eco
nomic war policy. He said the
| committee was a wartime expert
ment with the task of concerting
and directing the work of all minis
terial committees dealing with eco
nomic problems.
He declared that the war may
be prolonged and prodigious suffer-
ing may be inflicted before victory
is achieved unless all the economic
resources of our commonwealth, our
allies and friends are mobilized to
the fullest possible extent"
Sees Famine This Winter.
Mr.. Greenwood said Germany
and the territories she has over
run are facing famine this winter
and that next spring the pinch will
be even worse.
Hitler cannot add starvation to
slavery without running the grave
risk Of revolution within his own
territory" he said.
Mr.. Greenwood said some of Ger
many's chief industrial areas and
airdromes had suffered very heavy
punishment" from British flyers
and the output undoubtedly is Sc
riously inte-fered with
"Oil refineries, stores, railway
functions, marshalling yards, docks
and ships have been and will con-
tinue to be targets for our deadly
bombing planes, night by night and
week by week, more heavily as our
bombing strength increases" the
minister said.
To Buy All Egyptian Cotton.
R. A. Butler, Undersecretary for
! Foreign Affairs, announced that
Britain was setting up a commission
to buy the entire 1910 Egyptian cot
ton crop of 100000 bales.
Mr.. Butler said this was done on
the appeal of Egypt, whose regular
outlets for the cotton have been cut
off by the war. The purchase will
be made before April 4, 1941, he said,
at prices of about 1425 to 1925
cents pound.
The British government will bear
the whole of any net loss which may
arise from the transaction and will
share equally with the Egyptian
government any net profits.