NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 284, 29 August 1942, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS

Reactions throughout the South American republics to the Brazilian declaration of war with Germany and Italy must have disappointed Nazi and Fascist hopes. All of the States have granted non-belligerent status to Brazil, so that her warships and other vessels may use their ports and obtain at least non-milltary supplies. Uruguay has gone further and expressed its willingness to co-operate with Brazil in a common defence policy against aggression, and it already has been made clear that Axis nationals from Brazil will not find refuge there. This unity throughout South America may not have taken a very positive form, but it is significant. In recent years efforts have been made to establish, as a matter of policy, the doctrine that an attack against any American republic should be regarded as an attack on all, and it seems probable that the losses inflicted by Axis submarines on Brazilian and other Soutli American shipping have brought its adoption closer, It may not be a very big step from the passive policy of non-belligerency to the active one of direct help. The threat to -the southern continent is now more real than formerly for the indiscriminate submarine attacks on merchant shipping, made by the Axis, have caused losses to several republics.

A striking example of the rapidity of United States industrial development for war purposes was afforded this week by an announcement dealing with the number of women employed in United States armament and munitions factories. According to the 8.8. C. this army now totals 1,000,600, and tiie ultimate objective is a skilled feminine labour force of 5,000,000. Almost exactly two months ago a leading American periodical, reviewing the recruitment of women for war industries, spoke of "a quarter of a million, maybe half a million —certainly more than a million before the war is won." Not. only lias this latter aim been achieved in eight weeks, but tlie labour-recruiting sights have been raised, in tlie interim to range upon a goal live times as great, Apart from illustrating the meaning of American hustle, this is deeply significant of tlie trend and scope of American Industrial thought. There is no place for mere cut-and-dried planning when developments on such a scale are afoot. Yesterday’s ambitions are today’s realities, and become only the beginnings of tomorrow’s endeavours. We in this country should seek to cultivate a eimllar outlook toward the national war effort. Doing what we planned in the past, to do is not, enough. Our object must lie to keep fully abreast of war needs, even If this means —as it probably will mean—a constant adjustment of ideas and a repeated expansion of effort.