FEDERAL ELECTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 September 1940, Page 5

FEDERAL ELECTION

PRIME MINISTER’S POLICY SPEECH

ON BEHALF OF COMBINED PARTIES. EXPANSION OF WAR EFFORT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright I (Received This Day, 9.10 a.m.) MELBOURNE, September 2. In a joint election, policy speech for the United Australia and Ihe United Country Parties al Camberwell, the Federal Premier, Air IL (I. Menzies, outlined I he Government’s war activities and its aims if returned to power. lie said the Government had raised 130.000 men for the A.1.F., many thousands for the Navy and Air Force, established and maintained a large home defence arm of nearly 100,000, had created camps in all parts of the Commonwealth and otherwise had vastly expanded the military machine.

It had embarked on large-scale shipbuilding, brought to fruition the manufacture of aircraft, and had drawn heavily upon the credit of the nation, involving equality of sacrifice, despite which the prices of commodities had risen only by the merest fraction. Every effort wa's being m,ade through the Prices Control Commissioner to prevent the exploitation of consumers. Maximum employment was being given, by transfer from civil occupations to war needs. All possible aid was being extended to primary industries, thanks to the British Government’s bulk purchases and the wheat pool, and facilities had been made available here between the banks for prompt payments to producers.

Mr Menzies announced that the Government intended to acquire the next Australian wheat harvest, making advances upon it without delay. He acknowledged the magnificent way in which the trade unions had ranged themselves behind the war effort, and also the unstinted help of voluntary workers throughout Australia. He also emphasised the tremendous expansion in the production of munitions and war equipment and the corresponding increase in employment.