Evening star., 1943-04-13

SAID Mr.. Churcnll was entirely
right. He explained that when he
said recently that reported sinkings
were up in March he had tried to
emphasize the fact that he was
talking only of that month.
"If you take an average of the
last six months we are more than
holding our own," he said.
Mr.. Knox said that so far as he
knew there was nothing new to the
fact that the japanese were trying
to build air bases at Kiska and Attu
in the Aleutians.
Mr.. Knox declined to discuss the
situation in North Africa except to
say that he was very well pleased
at the way it's going"
A fulflllment of Australias plea
for more war materials was being
sought today by DR.. Herbert v.
Evatt, Australia's Minister for Ex-
ternal Affairs, following his confer
ence yesterday with President
Roosevelt. He said later that he
knew definitely that Mr.. Roosevelt
understands our views and SYM
pathizes with our objectives"
Australia, he emphasized at q
press conference following his White
House visit, accepts the beat Hitler
first concept as a part of global
strategy. He pointed out the dan
ger of permitting Japan to consoli-
date her conquests, then added:
"We rather feel that the so-called
beat Hitler first strategy has been
much misunderstood in the United
States"
Japan may renew it's offensive
sweep if she believes her "fate is to
be postponed indefinitely" DR.. Evatt
warned, adding that the Pacific war
should be pushed with the utmost
vigor." 1893.
Declaring that more war materials
should be allocated to the Pacific
zone, DR.. Evatt said successes by
American and Australian troops in
recent months were encouraging,
adding that "the Australian gov
ernment is convinced that with
greater support all those successes
could have been exploited to the dis
comfiture of Japan"
The danger of the present posi-
ton" he continued. 'is that the
japanese are consolidating them
selves in their new economic empire,
where they are tapping almost un-
limited resources of rubber, petro-
leum, tin, iron ore and quinine, and
are effectively blocking the United
Nations in respect of these commodi-
ties. At present they have vast
numerical superiority in manpoWer,
shipping and equipment"
He attributed Allied successes to
the excellent management by Gen.
Douglass Macarthur of all resources
placed at his disposal especially
aviation, and also to the 100 per cent
cooperation between Gen. MacAr-
thur and the Australian Prime Min
lister, Mr.. Curtin"
Praises Macarthur.
The Australian statesman warmly
praised Gen. Macarthur, under
whose command last year "the Jap
anese southern advances were
stemmed for the first time since
Pearl Harbor" He added:
1--WE have been enormously
helped, too, by the splendid recovery
of the United States Pacific Fleet
since the treacherous blow dealt on
December 7, 1941, and we all pay
tribute to the yictors of Coral Sea,
Midway and Guadalcanal."
While grateful for the definite i'm
provement in a situation which at
one time seemed almost hopeless, the
Australian government nevertheless
believes. Dr. Evatt said, that while
war production in the United States
has increased tremendously in the
last year, "the full effect of this in
creasing flow of supplies has not
been felt in the Southwest Pacific as
it should have been felt"
The production of warplanes, in
particular, has been enormously ex-