Gunpowder for the Nazis

[kaymay]

Sunday Times ( Perth) Saturday the 21th Aurgust 1938 ( page 14)

Gunpowder for Nazis
(By Air Mail)
LONDON.
LARGE quantities of British gun-
powder are being exported to Nazi Germany. The exporting concern is Nobel's Explosive Works, Ardeer, Scotland, part of the Imperial Chemical Industry combine.
The exports have increased recently,
so that it has been necessary for the I.C.I. to charter an extra ship.
The I.C.I. owns three steamers-
Lady Dorothy. Lady Gertrude Coch- rane and Lady Anstruther-and now the Nugget, owned by William Rob- ertson and Company. Glasgow, is on
charter to the firm. The largest steamer is the Lady Dorothy, whose Gross tonnage is 8194 tons.
Each ship invariably carries a full cargo, making one round trip about every four weeks, the ports of call usually being Hamburg. Germany, and (sometimes) Antwerp, Belgium.
Police Guard
Nobel's have exported gunpowder to Germany for many years by their own three ships, but the addition of the Nugget indicates a substantial in- crease in this trade.
Board of Trade licences cannot be obtained for exporting gunpowder for military purposes, but gunpowder to be used for industrial purposes is on the free list.
The question raised by the sharp increase in these exports
is whether Nazi chemists can
convert the explosives to military
use.
The Board of Trade ought to in- quire closely into the use being made of industrial explosives exported from England, especially to Germany.
Nobel's works extend for three and a half miles, from Irvine to Saltcoats, on the Clyde coast. The company's own wharf is attached to the works, which are closely guarded by eight policemen and one inspector.
There is even a form of supervision over the policemen, each of whom must "clock in" at certain points along his own patrol.
Some time ago the destinations of the gunpowder were marked on the cases in English, but this system has been discarded for a code.
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA