GAPS BEING FILLED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 February 1939, Page 7

GAPS BEING FILLED

PROGRESS OF REARMAMENT IN BRITAIN .. DETAILS OF MAGNIFICENT EFFORT. NOT REALISED BY COUNTRY AS A WHOLE. (British Official Wireless.' RUGBY, February 2. The State of Britain’s rearmament programme and civilian defence preparations were the subject of important statements in the House of Commons today. The first of these statements was contained in a letter to Mr Chamberlain from ‘he panel of industrialists set up to advise in connection with the industrial aspects of rearmament which the Prime Minister read in the House.

The panel declares that the service departments, supported by the Treasury, are rapidly accomplishing a very difficult task of great complexity with efficiency and foresight, even to the extent in some cases of establishing new industries in the country. The panel feels that the magnitude of the effort being made is not sufficiently realised by the country as a whole. Regarding the deficiencies which were found to exist in the defence equipment of the nation at the time of the crisis in September, the panel says that on the figures submitted to it, it feels that most of these gaps have been filled or are being filled as rapidly as possible. The panel is satisfied that the wholehearted co-operation of industry in the rearmament programme has been forthcoming, and cites as an example the close co-operation between the Air Ministry and -the aircraft industry as a result of which there has been so marked an increase in the rate of production of aircraft. In the course of a Parliamentary answer on the organisation of medical services in connection with civil defence, the Minister of Health, ,Mr Walter Elliot, stated that plans had been made for finding 200,000 beds in existing hospitals in the first 24 hours of an emergency. Regarding transport foi' ambulance work the London County Council had 1200 commercial vehicles -earmarked for ambulance service and another 800 would be so earmarked quite soon. This was in addition to the large fleet of peace-time ambulances available and the 300 coaches, provision for - the immediate conversion of wljich had already been made. Regarding anti-gas measures, the Lord Privy Seal, Sir John Anderson, announced in the House that a satisfactory protection against gas for infants under two years of age had'now been designed and that production was going forward with all possible speed. In addition, respirators suitable for all children over two years of age were on order.