Evening star., 1943-08-15

NAAAASA ASoai Ay yCio dlC bdSCu oll ItfAI llStuS.
An American medical unit In England
occupies an English hospital. Over here
the program of helping our Allies with
materials is called lend-lease. In Eng
land they call 1t reciprocal aid and
wonder If there is not some better des-
ignation for it that would emphasize the
two-way nature Of exchange of war
goods between the United States and
Great Britain.
The most striking fact about British
material assistance to the United States
recorded to date is that England has
put at our disposal in the United King
dom barracks, airfields, hospitals and
aircraft repair depots valued at over
$500, 0,0OO,0O0. The development of these
points for American use involved the
use of 2,17s,384 tons Of construction
materials, supplied by the British. 1t
costs British taxpayers $32 900 900 a
year to maintain the depots.
What goes for England can be said
OF the Commonwealth dominions, too,
in lesser degrees. American troops in
Australia and New Zealand eat off Aus
tralia and New Zealand In large degrees
The Fiji Islands-under New Zealand
control-furnished 5000 worth of Ice
cream to American troops last January,
for instance.
BY this gratis assistance the Allies
have eased up the pressure on shipping.
Supplies from British resources to the
American forces in the United King
dom between June /, 1s42, and April /,
l943, would have involved 1862 ,681 tons
OF shipping according to official British
estimates
In the months of last February and
March alone the British government is
sued the following items Of clothing to
American fighting men in the 9th Air
Force In England 500 electrically
heated vests, 300 buoyant flying suits.
400 pairs of socks, l,575 pairs of elec-
trically-heated gauntlets and Innings.
400 flying helmets and LIS pairs Of
silk gloves.
100000 Tons of Food.
England, where everybody lives on a
close diet controlled by ration cards,
expects to supply the American Army
with between 100000 and 250,0O0 tons
OF food this year. During 1943s first
three months the food turned over to
us by England was 1921 900 pounds of
enriched wheat flour, 5,435, 900 pounds
OF potatoes, 3,500,0OO pounds of other
vegetables, 1920, 900 pounds of bread and
7274,000 pounds of sugar.
For the duration the British have
turned over to us their greatest ocean
liners, the Queen Elizabeth and the
Queen Mary, along with 100000 other
deadweight tons of shipping. Five hun
dred British ships were in the armada of
$50 vessels that made the North African
landings last November.
When American troops began arriv-
Ing in the United Kingdom, the British
put at their disposal 5000 trucks and
other vehicles for their use until Amer
ican cars and trucks got to England,
Large numbers of English goods wagons
daily transport war material for Amer
lean from English ports to American
bases in England and no bill is rem
dered.
The beds in the hospitals turned over
10 the United States Army by England
total $4,000. The English have filled mil
lions OF sandbags for Americans. They
have turned over to us 3OO0 900 camou-
hage nets, 250,000 antitank mines, 50O,-
600 electric batteries every month, 5OO.-
600 hand grenades. 1000 parachutes.
l,5oO miles of piping and 100000 pounds
of barbed wire.
Depot Covers 600 Acres.
One special repair depot handed to
the United States for receiving Ameri-
can aircraft on arrival in Britain covers
nearly 600 acres. It's buildings provide
100000 square feet of floor space.
There are also plenty of small items list
ed in the catalogue of English material
assistance. Notable among these are
more than 100000 clay pigeons for tar
get practice.
In North Africa, the Raj supplied
the American forces with most of their
radar equipment. American forces in
India received during the last seven
months Of 1912 2,50000 tons of oil from
Britlsh-controlled Middle East petro-
leum fields. United States Army Air
Forces in North Africa received some
planes from England, which had issued
675 aircraft of various types to American
users through March 81.
In North Africa equipment of Ameri-
can and British origin have been dis
tributed to fighting men in uniforms of
the United States and England without
bookkeeping on the irdestination. United
States fighter squadrons flew 100 Spit
fires provided by Great Britain in the
North African landings Most of the
equipment used by United States forces
in that operation came from American
factories, but Britain supplied 100 miles
of portable airfield runways, more than
100000 antitank mines and grenades,
130 reconnaissance boats four complete
1,000-bed field hospitals and medical sup
plies for 100000 men. One United States
division was completely equipped with
British 25-pounder guns.
British supply officials have been
filling an American order for $500 OBJ
server parachutes with harness and g.
500 rubber dinghies The United States
Army Air Force received 300 pairs of
binoculars from the English last Febru-
airy, and during the same month re-
ceived Is motorcycles.
Red Cross Given Palace.