Daily Post - 31.03.1943, Blaðsíða 2

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DAILY POST
ia publlshe4 by
Blaöahringurlnn.
Bdltors: S. Benediktsson.
A_ L. Merson.
Offlee: 12, AusturstrætL Tel.
3716. Rejrkjavík. Printed by
AlþýÖuprentsmlðJan Ltd.
Wednesday, March 31, 1943
U. S. Bombers
Over Europe
The recently revealed figures
of American and German air
losses since the start of United
States participation in the air
war over Europe are worthy of
•areful consideration. These
Jigures are 90 and 355 respec-
Mvely, representing roughly a
ratio of one bomber lost for
every four German fighters de-
stroyed. The balance remains in
Mie enemy’s favor, of course,
sánce a heavy bomber with its
erew of 8—10 highly trained
men is easily worth six fighters.
However, the destruction of in-
tercepting planes is incidental
to the bomber’s main mission,
which is to reach the assigned
target and drop its load of
bombs with the scientific pre-
oision possible only in daylight.
From all accounts this mission
has been carried out in most
cases with outstanding success.
It now appears that the “area
bombing” of Germany by night
has not slowed up German war
production to the degree ori-
ginally hoped for by its staun-
chest advocates. There is little
doubt that accurate daylight
bombing on the same mass scale
will be more effective, and the
recent announcement that U.S.
Army bombers will soon be
staging such raids over Ger-
many indicates that that is
what is contemplated.
The figures given of losses
during the last large-scale Am-
erican raid over N.W. Germany
—52 German fighters for four
bombers—are highly signifi-
cant. They indicate that after
nine months the Luftwaffe has
failed to find an answer to the
Fortress and Liberator—even
when meeting them over its
home grounds.
In the August and September
months of 1940 Germany tried
out over England the very thing
we are now planning on and
developing — massed daylight
REYKJAVÍK LETTER
GOOD FISHING
' It is reported that the winter
fishery season has been a good
one, in spite of certain difficul-
ties. The catch was unusually
large, especially between March
8th and March 17th. Some
boats, however, were not ready
to fish before the end of Jan-
uary or the beginning of Fe-
bruary, owing to delays in re-
pair-work, and some overtime
and night-work was done to try
and get the boats ready for sea
as soon as possible.
CHANGE IN FISH
PRICES
The press reports that rum-
ours which have been circulat-
ing for some days that the price
of fish in England was to be re-
duced have been confirmed in a
letter from the British Ministry
of Food office here to the As-
sociation of Icelandic Trawler
Owners. Hitherto the price paid
for all Icelandic fish other than
flatfish has been 81 shillings a
‘kitt”. This, the report states, is
to be reduced to 75/10 for cod
& haddock and 70/10 for perch,
coalfish and other kinds. The
trawlers are said to have caught
a very high proportion of coal-
fish recently, which will mean
that the price will be mostly
70/10. One paper expresses the
fear that some of the smaller
vessels may have to cease sail-
ing when this reduction comes
into force.
It ill be recalled that fish
exports to Britain were high-
ly profitable in the early part
of the war. For over a year now,
however, the selling price has
been fixed by agreements, while
costs and wages have been ris-
ing in Iceland. During the
winter most of the freezing-
houses were closed, on the
ground that they could not be
run except at a loss, and they
only opened when permission
was obtained to pack the fish
in cardboard instead of wooden
boxes.
raids with the dual purpose of
destroying the nation’s war-
strength at its source and luring
the opposing airforcé to anni-
hilation in the skies. It begins
to look as if we might succeed
where Germany so miserably
failed.
NEW CHOIR
A new choir has just been
formed in Reykjavík. It is
called “Samkór Reykjavíkur”.
HEKLA TO GO?
It is planned to demolish
the Hótel Hekla building and
the two small taxi stations at
the eastern side of it, in order
to increase the size of Lækjar-
torg. It is now being suggested
that the bankruptcy of the
owner of the Hótel and the con-
sequent necessity for selling it
may offer a favourable oppor-
tunity for carrying out this
plan.
PRICE CONTROL APPEAL
The Icelandic Board of Trade
has issued an appeal to con-
sumers to assist it in maintain-
ing effective control of prices.
If they notice that a higher
price is being charged for an ar-
ticle than the official maximum
price or that different prices
are charged' in different shops
for the same article, they are
asked to report the fact at the
offices of the Board. Groods for
which no official maximum
price is fixed are not supposed
to have increased in price since
last February 13th without the
Board’s permission, and breach-
es of this regulation are also to
be reported. The whole country
has been divided into 7 price
control regions, with an office
in each region, at Reykjavík,
Stykkishólmur, ísafjörður,
Blönduós, Akureyri, Eskifjörð-
ur and the Westman Islands
respectively.
CHINA’S BEVERIDGE PLAN
Chunking:—All Chinese citi-
zens between the ages of 20 and
50 will shortly be required to
take out a compulsory life in-
surance policy under the new
law designed to elevate social
and economic status of the
people.
Berlin:—The German News
Agency said on Sunday that a
reshuffle in Laval’s cabinet is
expected at the next Ministerial
meeting.
Soldiers And
The Press
Prlme Minister’s
Statement
Mr. Churchill said in the
Commons recently that any
soldier could write to a news
paper on other than military
subjects without the permission
of higher authorities.
He was answering a question
about a letter written by his
son, Captain Randolph Churc-
hill, M.P., from North Africa,
which was published in the
Evening Standard.
Mr. Aneurin Bevan (Soc.^
Ebbw Vale) had asked whether
the letter was passed by a senior
officer. The Prime Minister
replied that is was not.
It dealt with political, not
military, matters, so did not
fall under the restrictions of
Paragraph 547 (A) of King’s
Regulations.
“The only comment I have
to make on the letter.“ said Mr.
Churchill, “is that it apperars
to express a perfectly arguable
point of view, and one which
is shared by many responsible
people, American, British and
French, in this theatre of war.”
It was learned last night that
a further statement on the
precise postition of officers and
ment in the Services who want
to write for the Press is to be
made in Parliament.
M.P.s. feel that serving men
are still uncertain what are
their rights, and higher offic-
ers fear they may wrongly in-
terpret the Regulations.
The new statement is
expected to be a detailed ruling
for the guidance of all ranks
on what tbey may and may not
write for the Press.
Wm. Hkkev’s Gomment
Some MPs reacted querul-
ously yesterday to the Prime
Minister’s explanation.
They did not seem at once to
realise that, on the wider issue^
the .Prime Minister was an-
nouncing a liberal reform of
great magnitude.
Serving officers and men are-
Continued on page 3.
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