EMPIRE WAR EFFORT

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 83, 4 October 1940, Page 7

EMPIRE WAR EFFORT

CEASELESS MOMENTUM

TRAINING FOR THE SERVICES

DOMINIONS' PLANS

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received October 4, 10.30 a.m.)]

RUGBY, October 3, The whole of the Empire's war effort is growing with ceaseless / momentum.

By the end of September between 50,000 and 60,000 men of the volunteer militia concluded camp training in Canada, and during 1941 nearly 300,000 .will be trained. In addition it is estimated unofficially that th« total number of Canadian troops now: in England is over 46,000. As announced in the first week in Septemr ber, the Canadian Navy, then numbered 125 vessels, while the Royal Canadian Air Force expected early in October to have a strength of 26,500 officers and men, of whom 16,000 are in the Empire air training project.

As- in other parts of the Empire, Canada's material resources represent a highly important factor. The current --wheat crop is estimated by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics at 561,000,000 bushels, which is about 5,000,000 bushels below the record harvest of 1928. The oats, barley, and linseed crops are estimated to be all above those of last year. In nine months the Canadians have 'bought about £130,000,000 worth of war bonds. In Australia the establishment, of a new infantry officers' training school will raise the output of officers to nearly 2000 a year—the number required for the A.I-F. Plans have been made for great expansion of the air defences of Northern and Eastern Australia, involving the expenditure of many millions of pounds on establishments of aircraft personnel. The proposed strength of the Air Force will be at least 8500 officers and men. | AUSTRALIAN AID FOR NAVY. Seven Australian shipyards are building 50 patrol craft to the design of the Navy Board, and 20 oi these are intended'for the Admiralty. Each ship will be manned by Australians and named after an Australian town. Two Tribal Class destroyers under construction in Australia will, with the King's approval, be named Arunta and Warranunga, the names of two aboriginal tribes. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corpora* tion has handed to the Australian Government the hundredth Wirraway plane one year after the production of the first. This means an output of £1,000,----000 worth of planes in the first year of production.

The members of .15,000' Australian war savings groups now number 1,25<V 000, one-sixth of the population.' There are now one thousand New Zealanders in the R.A.F., 8204 men have volunteered for the R.N.Z.A.F. as pilots, and 8189 for the technical staff.

In South Africa, the Transvaal gold output in August broke the record at almost 1,200,000 fine ounces.

The South African Air Force continues to take part in many successful raids on Italian bases in Africa, where a Rhodesian squadron of the R.A.F. has also made successful attacks.

. The Southern Rhodesian gold mining industry achieved the highest monthly production in 23 years during August.

In India applications for service in the I.A.F. are being received at the rate of between 700 and 2000 a day, according to a recent announcement. The advertising of 300 vacancies for pilbts in the I.A.F. reserve brought 18,000 applications.

Towards the war industries India ia producing about 20,000 different items. A factory survey will shortly be made to estimate the production capacity.

Hardly a day passes without further generous Indian gifts towards the purchase of aircraft.

Kenya's man-power is now 100 per cent, mobilised. Every able-bodied man who is not in the regular forces is having part-time training in the Kenya defence fnvoa