The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-04

British are still selling a
 This is viewed with mixed feel ings in Administration circles: embarrassment because Roosevelt has urged such speed in produc- ton for Britain; approval because of the confidence~in Britain reac- ton which plane sales are bound to create in Latin America.
 This is what the Germans boasted they could do last year though they were unable to de- liver their planes because of the blockade
 At any rate, whether the United States likes 1t or not, General Aircraft, @ British company, re- gently sent q Cygnet plane to Brazil as display model to en- tice orders. The company's agent reported from Rio De Janeiro, "The prospect for orders for your planes Is encouraging, and must say that the Cygnet Is very cap- tivating. I think you may look forward to receiving orders for at least four, possibly more, Cygnets very soon In Rio alone. -"
 People are aStOunded that 1t has been possible for England to export planes in time like the present"
 AFFECTS U. $. AIRLINES
 Aeronautics, a British publica- ton, stated in December that the British Airways had received de- livery of the first of eight de Havilland Flamingos. to be used abroad cn services already in eX- istcnce and on new routes that have been planned In various parts of the Empire" The Flam- ingo Is a large transport plane comparable to the Douglas and Lockheed.
 The policy of the British Is that such sales keep commercial lines open and effectively create the impression that Britain cannot only hold off the invader but also do business aS usual.
 Because of this, U. s. War De- partment officials arc veering to the British view that 1t is impor- tant to keep commercial airways open and expanding. So the cur- tailment of U. s. commercial air. plane production may not go into effect after all.
 EAST INDIES OIL
 How imminent is the danger of Japanese attack in the Dutch East Indies can be gauged by the fact that one Dutch oil company already has taken steps to keep its property from falling into Jap anese hands.
 Dutch companies have vast in- terests in the Indies. including oil wells scattered through Borneo and Sumatra and large oil re- finery on the coast of Borneo.
 All properties, as well as routes leading to them, have been se- cretly planted with sleeper" mines, which can be detonated at a moments notice if the Japanese set foot on the island. In that case millions of dollars worth of holdings will be blown up or fired.
 The companies also nave ptlllt shelters for their employees, invisi- ble from the air in the dense jun gles of Borneo, where huge quan- titles of food, medicine and other necessities have been cashed. Even new wells have been dug to provide water during the emergency.
 WHITE HOUSE ROOSTER
 Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard has a lot of headaches, but the one which bothered him most recently was delivering a Plymouth Rock rooster in his of- ficial limousine to the White House.
 White House Secretary General "Pa" Watson, who has a farm down the river near Mount Ver- non, asked the Secretary of Agri- culture where he could get roos- ter for his Plymouth Rock pull lets. Wickard said he would take care of 1t.
 That was rash promise. He