The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1941-05-22

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Washington, d. C.

eminent Of the United States actual
~ Is paying war risk insurance to
the Japanese for helping to insure
the SIS. America. pride of the U. S.
merchant marine.
This Is just part of the revelations
over reinsurance which are break
ing this week at the justice depart
ment. These probes also show that
when a vessel Is injured, Axis in
surance companies get adj the data
regarding its cargo. time Of depar-
ture, destination. and the interior
plan Of the ship.
Thus, despite all the censorship Of
Secretary Of the Navy Knox, Ger
many has had an easy means of
knowing all about every ship that
leaves the United States.
This Is accomplished when Amer
lean insurance companies. because
Of the heavy risk involved in nsur-
ing a cargo in wartime. reinsure
with various foreign companies. In
other words. they sell part of the
policy abroad. thus distribute the
risk. That is how Japan makes a
lush profit on insuring American
vessels, even vessels owned by the
u. S. A.
Last year congress passed a law
providing war risk insurance for
U. S. shipping. but the maritime
commission, for reasons best known
to itself, has declined to take ad-
vantage Of the law. Commission
members state quite frankly that
they wanted to throw the business to
private insurance concerns-as long
as private insurance was available.
DEBATE FREEZING AXIS FUNDS
One Of the most vigorous inner
cabinet debates in a long time con-
cerned the question Of freezing
German-Italian funds on deposit in
the United States. In a heated dis
cussion, Secretary Of State Hull and
Secretary of Commerce Jesse Jones
were the only cabinet members who
stood out for letting the two Axis
powers continue to spend money as
they wished in this country.
Many people may not realize it.
but whereas the government has
frozen the funds of all the conquered
nations - France. Norway, Den
mark, Belgium, Holland, Greece,
etc.-it continues to permit the con-
quering nations to use their money
in the U. S. A. in any manner they
wish.
For instance, Germany gets more
than a million dollars monthly from
the lease of patents to American
companies. This is paid in Amer
lean dollars and can be spent for
anti-American propaganda or any
thing else, or shipped back to Ger
many. Italian diplomatic attaches.
for instance. found carrying
81, 900, 900 in U. S. currency in a
suitcase from New Orleans to Mex
leo for propaganda purposes. An
other 81, 900, 900 Of U. S. currency
was shipped to Buenos Aires by the
Italian embassy.
Meanwhile, France, for example.
no longer sells perfume, etc.. to
the United States, but sells to Ger
many, which in turn ships the per-
fume through Vadivostok to the
United States. Reason is that
French funds are frozen, so the
French can get no money from the
u. S. A. But German funds are not
frozen, so French trade to the
United States now increases Nazi
profits and helps build up trade
channels for the future.
STREAMLINED FOODS
Because Of the acute shipping
shortage, food items for shipment
to Britain are being selected for high
vitamin and ~calorie content, also for
minimum bulk and weight.
In general, preference will be Civ.
en- to concentrated and dried foods,