Evening star., 1941-09-07

value of such transfers. The price
determined on may be nominal
Mr. Roosevelt has stated publicly
that after the Dunkerque retreat he
sold to the British for $4,000 900
military equipment which it had
cost $500, 10000 to manufacture.
As required by statute, the Presi-
dent on June 10 made his first re-
port to Congress on lease-lend ex-
penditures. He revealed that trans
fers from existing combat stocks
since March 27 had amounted to a
total valuation, nominal or other
wise, of s64,472.74l What the total
was during the last 30 days will not
be known until the President trans
mits his second report. which Is due
on or about September 10. BY all
accounts. the sum will be increased
substantially. But it will necessarily
be less-and probably much less
than s1,235, ,527 $50.
From the War Department comes
word that since deliveries Of sup
plies from American factories have
mounted during the past three
months. transfers to lease-lend will
no. doubt show "a substantial in
crease" The Defense Aid Reports
Division of the Office for Emergency
Management says it will be disap-
pointed if such transfers do not rep
resent "a considerable advance
General Production Up.
Defense production in general Is
declared to have shown distinct i'm
proyement during the last month.
Increased defense output, under laws
in force, could scarcely avoid being
reflected in lease-lend supplies.
1t is understood that most of the
$1,000, 900 900 appropriation has
been allocated. But official secrecy
for the present wells the proportion
that has been placed under con-
tract, to say nothing Of the part
actually spent. There is censorship
also regarding British orders, made
before the Lease-Lend Act, which
have been transferred to lease2lend
account. That such transfers have
occurred is certain; but that the
volume is relatively insignificant ap-
pears probable.
Treasury figures remain the best
available index to delivery of lease
lend supplies-with the understand
ing that the word means deliveries
on American soil and not in the
British Isles. No account is taken
in such statistics of sinkings ny
enemy action. Purchases by the
Surplus Marketing Corp. will even
tually be charged to the Treasury.
Sums paid out of previous appro-
priations for aid to the democracies
include pay rolls at many plants.
such as Government arsenals, and
advance payments to contractors for
meeting conditioning requirements
at their factories
Treasury Pays for Ship Repair.
LeaSe-lend disbursements by the
Treasury comprise, among other
things, the expense of repairing
damaged foreign vessels in Ameri-
can shipyards: the cost of admins
tering all lease-lend operations and
certain outlays In connection with
the 1000, 0,000-ton shipping pool. Pur-
chase of vessels for the pool is
charged to lease-lend deposits. To
the same fund, when there is no
change of ownership-as in the serv-
ice OF merchantmen to the Red Sea
under the American nag - are
charged freight rates and 90 per
cent of the cargo. For its long-range
and emergency shipbuilding pro-
grams, the Maritime Commission
has its own appropriation, aside
from lease-lend accounts.
The Agriculture Departme n t
makes public no figures on lease
lend purchases of foodstuffs, but
provides totals expended for this
and three other purposes-stabiliza-
ton reserves, Red Cross shipments
to war refugee areas and domestic
distribution to public aid families
and for free school lunches. The
amount purchased between March !
and July Of this year was $780,
600 900. Lease-lend aid is believed
to have absorbed nearly the entire
volume.
During July. II y declared. yae-