The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-01-17
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Washington, d. C.
BRITAIN WANTED u. s: TO GET
ERE TO GIVE UP BASES
Confidential conversations have
been taking place between the Brit
ish and the state department for
some time aimed at getting Irish
naval bases for the British.
In these conversations the British
have wanted to place the United
States in the unique role of either
persuading or bulldozing Fire into
handing over the bases. Just how
the United States handled it, the
British didn't much care.
But in talking to the state depart
ment, the British pointed out that if
they took Irish bases by force, there
would be burst of anti-British feel
ing from Irish all over the United
States, particularly New England.
This, the British felt, would be ex-
tremely bad just at time when
Britain particularly needs American
support.
The British also pointed out to the
state department that they were
placed in the unfortunate position of
having to bring food to Ireland at
the risk Of having the ships sunk,
and with no protective cooperation
from the Irish whatsoever.
Therefore, the British foreign Of
flee urged the state department to
use its immediate and vigorous good
offices with the Irish government.
The state department, however,
has been eying the situation with
no great enthusiasm. Informal
soundings revealed that the Irish
minister in Washington, Robert
Brennan, is vigorously opposed to
British naval bases, and so is the
Irish governmental least until the
recent bombing of Fire by German
planes.
This has changed Irish public
opinion considerably, and it is now
possible that u. S. persuasion might
get somewhere.
SHORTAGE OF SHEET BRASS
HAMPERS DEFENSE PROGRAM
The serious shortage in aluminium
"a factor behind the tagging plane
production) is not the only crucial
raw material bottleneck now pla-
guing the defense program.
Another is the lack of sheet brass,
out OF which shell casing is made.
AS in the case of aluminium, de-
tense chiefs are shush-shushing the
brass shortage. But it is so grave
that experts admit privately that It
may become necessary to curtail
consumption for civilian purposes in
order to meet the steadily soaring
military demand. In fact, brass
may be one of the first base metals
to be put on the military priority
list.
Cause Of the shortage is twofold:
l. Lack of sufficient zinc smelling
facilities. Zinc is an essential ore
In brass, which In turn is essential
In the manufa cture of all ammuni-
ton castings, from bullets for small
arms to giant shells for the heaviest
cannon.
2. Shortage of brass manufactur-
ing facilities.
The two are interrelated and there
can be no improvement in one un-
less the other also is remedied.
There is no dearth of zinc ore or
scrap zinc, which are in plentiful
supply. The bottleneck is in smelt-
ing and brass-making plants.
AT present the United States has
some 20-odd primary slab zinc
smelters and five so-called second
airy smelters, which use scrap zinc
instead Of ore. Their combined out
put is 100000 tons-far short of the
American and British defense re-
quirements already specified.
Meanwhile, our own shell needs
and those of the British increase
daily. To meet this, brass manu-
facturers are hurriedly expanding
their rolling mill facilities and also
adding machinery to turn out cas-
ings. But all this will be useless un-
less they can get more smelted zinc.
In a belated move to deal with
this menacing situation, the Defense
commission several weeks ago
granted a Certificate Of necessity"
to a large zinc smelter at Amarillo,
Texas, for an addition to its plant.
That will help-when the plant is
finished. But even then it will be
far from enough.
Independent producers charge that
the zinc delay is caused by the same
factor which has held up aluminium,
namely-monopoly.
They assert that the big operators
don't want new competitors in the
field and operate undercover to bar
them, through strategically placed
influences in the Defense commits
sion.
UNDER THE DOME
Thanks to careful advance plan
ming by Floor Leader Alben Barley
and Senate Secretary Edwin Halsey