Evening star., 1941-10-22
Second Lease-Lend
Bill includes Funds
rConvoYsS Ships
S325, 900, 900 Eormorked
For Escorts, Senate
Report Diseloses
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The $685. 100000 second lease
lend bill reached the Senate today
from its Appropriations Committee
along with hitherto unpublished
testimony that 1925 100000 of the
money has been earmarked for SO
convoy escort" ships.
Other testimony, made public by
the committee in reporting the
House-approved measure late yes
terday, disclosed that it might be-
come necessary to divert some of
the new appropriation for aid to
Russia. and that present funds for
purchase of food for Great Britain
will be exhausted by the end of this
month.
The bill will be taken up for de-
bate tomorrow with prospects of
speedy passage.
Relief Kept Separate.
Chairman Adams said the sub
committee handling the approprla-
tions did not include s50,000,000 ad-
ditional recently asked by Presi-
dent Roosevelt for war relief &C
tivities, because members thought
this should be handled in separate
measure.
Admiral Harold r. Stark, chief
of naval operations, testified con-
cerning the need for so escort ships
for convoy work. But as in the case
of most of the witnesses appearing
on the bill, much of his testimony
was deleted from the printed record
due to its confidential nature.
No details on the convoy escorts
were released, but it was assumed
that most. if not all, of the so ships
would be turned over to the British
for use in eScorting war cargoes
through the North Atlantic danger
zone.
Admiral Stark also was questioned
about a S50,000,000 item for use in
buying material for unspecltled
British naval bases and of another
slOOO0.00G item for a British naval
base in Iceland He said Amerl-
can occupation forces would have
the use of the Iceland base If and
when the Americans relieved the
British entirely"
Oscar S. Cox, general counsel of
the LeaSe-Lend Administration, tes-
tilted that some Of the new fund
might have to be diverted to help
Russia. although leaSe-lend help for
the Moscow government was not
ho noyoIipc
propriation was introduced, because
then it appeared she would be able
to pay for war supplies obtained
here.
Food Urgently Needed.
Secretary of Agriculture Wickard
said the ,O00,000,000 earmarked
for food was urgently needed to
maintain Britain's physical eff
cheney and morale. He added that
all of his departments S502 900, 900
ALLEGATION from the original lease
lend appropriation would be ex-
hausted by the end of October, and
food shipments to England would
stop in December unless additional
funds were provided.
Also he said, American farmers
needed some assurance that they
would be paid for their increased
production for British aid. whether
the war stopped or continued, since
they were stepping up output at the
request of the Government.
Undersecretary of Agriculture
Paul H. Appleby. who recently re-
turned from a tour of inspection in
England, said he went over there
prepared to criticize the way Brit
lsh place lease-lend food in a gen.
eral pool for sale to wholesalers.
He said he suggested that the
British segregate lease-lend food to
make sure it reached soldiers, school
children, babies and workers in
heavy industry, but he was now
convinced that this was impractical
and wasteful.
Approves Procedure.
His testimony that the British sell
this American food and use the
money for other purposes startled
some committeeman, but Mr. Apple
by said the money they received
Is sterling and would not be useful
to the United States unless con-
verted into dollars.
They are not necessarily keeping
the money" he said. IF we want
to use it as claim against them
for future collection, all right, but
I am convinced if I we're doing it
myself. I would do it in the way
they are doing it,
Edward R. Stettinius, jr., lease
lend administrator, furnished the
committee a highly confidential
blue book" showing a breakdown
of the whole lease-lend appropria-
ton "by item and by country"
He said all of the first $1,000, ,000,- =
900 lease-lend fund would be obli-
gated in 90 days and that a week
ago I'VE had approximately $780,
100000 of lease-lend acquisitions
that should go into the works, but
can't because the funds are not
available"