Show Round Merry By DREW DR W PEARSON and ROBERT S. S S ALLEN WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Several Several days ago it was revealed that a chief objective of Lord Beaverbrook's Beaver- Beaver Beaverbrook's Beaverbrook's brooks brook's visit was to get more tanks tanks-tanks tanks tanks for tanks eventually for an Iran tanks for Egypt invasion of the continent Beaverbrook particularly particularly particularly par par- wanted the new powerful 32 that soon will roll off the Chrysler assembly line at the th rate of a month It can can now be revealed that the British supply sup sup- supply ply minister will not go home empty He will take back with him very cheering assurances assurances assurances as as- regarding the division of these tanks between the U. U S. S and British armed forces But that isn't the end of his tank problem Allotting tanks to the British in this country is one thing but delivering them across the Atlantic is another r. r In fact the problem of transporting lar large e numbers of ton 32 tanks is the toughest shipping shipping ship ship- ping problem maritime experts have faced fac d since the magnetic mine which ravaged shipping shipping shipping ship ship- ping until the demagnetizing devices were evolved In a nutshell here is the problem For every shipload of of light ton 12 tanks anks sent to England or Africa Alrica the same ship plus nearly three fourths of another ship would be required to transport the same number of ton 32 tanks that ship 26 Translated into specific figures that figures convoy convoy which landed light tanks at Alexandria Alexandria Alex Alex- andria three months ag ago would have had to toc c consist of 44 vessels to carry the same sa e number of medium ta tanks ks With shipping scarcer than hens hen's teeth a difference o of 18 ships is an extremely important factor Also the necessity of traveling in slow convoys further reduces the amo amount nt of shipping ship ping available Some experts estimated this reduction as high as 50 per cent In addition the British sometimes take an excessively long longtime longtime longtime time to unload cargoes So the tank problem thus also becomes an acute shipping problem One bright sp spot t in the situation is the great reduction r in ship losses in the last 60 days since the extension of the U. U S. S neutrality patrols But the basic problem of security more car cargo o bottoms still remains Wheeler Ducks It is a rare event for House Democratic Leader John McCormack k militant champion of the presidents president's foreign policies to o receive aphone a aphone aphone phone call from a man with whom he has as little in common as Isolationist Senator Burton Burton Burton Bur Bur- ton K Wheeler of Montana However Wheeler literally bombarded McCormack's Mc- Mc McCormack's McCormack's Cormacks Cormack's office with phone calls just before the house voted to extend army service for 18 months Behind this is an interesting ting story Two days before the v vote te McCormack received received re re- a telegram from Montana which almost took his breath away It was from Wheelers Wheeler's isolationist t. t henchman in the house Representative James F. F OConnor O'Connor of Montana who was elected to congress only through Wheelers Wheeler's support But now he wired McCormack that he wished to be paired for draft extension This meant that if it OConnor O'Connor were present he would vote yes The telegram had hardly arrived when Wheeler who savagely fought the bill in the senate phoned McCormack's office Told by bya bya a a clerk that the Democratic leader was busy on the floor Wheeler inquired in an agitated voice this I hear about Jim OConnor O'Connor asking to be paired for this bill Is it true The clerk truthfully replied that he did not know and suggested that Wheeler talk to McCormack McCormack McCormack Mc Mc- Cormack about it So all that afternoon and the next morning the Montana senator tried frantically to reach McCormack each time being told he w was s out Not until the vote was announce announced did Whee Wheeler er get confirmation of O'Connor's vote O'Connor's stand aroused much comment in congressional cloakrooms Speculation had hadit it that O'Connor's face about was caused by his secret senatorial ambitions plus a newspaper poll showing that Montana voters were 5 to 1 against Wheelers Wheeler's position on foreign policy Apparently fearful of being bracketed with Wheeler OConnor O'Connor went home for a personal survey of Montana sentiment There he learned that the newspaper poll was accurate so promptly ran for cover on the draft extension issue State Department Conferences In these days of war the public has the impression that the state department is bursting bursting burst burst- ing with information for the press and that a pre press s conference with Secretary Hull must be something to tell your grandchildren about But here is about an average conference with the secretary of state The questions cover every part of the globe Asked about a German plane over Iceland Mr Hull said he hadn't heard of it Asked about his conversations with the French ambassador he said He ne had nothing especially new nw in mind Asked about Ambassador Grews Grew's report from Tokyo he said he had nothing more at this time Asked about the U. U S S. S mission to Russia he referred the question to the White House He did add that Stalin was agreeable to having havinga a conference Other questions brought the answers that he had nothing on the subject that he was not notable notable notable able to tell right light now th that t he would have to let the question pass and that the questioner should ask the post office department The only affirmative statement was to commend commend com com- mend meld a speech given by Justice Murphy to the Knights of Columbus favoring aid to Russia Distributed by United Feature Syndicate |