OUR ARMED FORCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 November 1940, Page 5

OUR ARMED FORCES

RAPID EXPANSION FINANCE MINISTER’S SURVEY. EXPENDITURE RISING APACE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, November 6. The growing strength of the forces of New Zealand, both at home and overseas, was reviewed by the Minister of Finance. Air Nash, in an address tonight. About 1400 people were present. The .Minister discussed in particular the expansion of the Army and Air Force. “Every man who goes overseas with the Army costs £7OO for equipment and £7 5s a, week for keep,” Mr Nash said, when referring to war expenditure. He stated that at present there were 20.960 men of the N.Z.E.F. overseas, 10.706 in training and 6487 waitting to be called up, a total of 38,153. It was estimated that there would be a total of 30,000 men serving overseas before the end of the year, Mr Nash said. The number of men in the air force serving overseas was 890 in the air force proper, 95 in the Fleet Air Arm, and 71 in Canada. Since the outbreak of war 791 men had been sent overseas and more were to follow. It was planned, under accelerated progress, to train a total' of 4382 air force personnel annually. There were 3005 New Zealanders serving in either the Royal Navy or in New Zealand naval work. The total expenditure on defence for the year ended on March 31, 1935, was £1,003,289, or 12s 11d a head, he added. This rose to £1,882,716 in 1938, and to £5 5s 3d a head, this year. “I think that will double in the next 12 months,” the Minister said. He also spoke of the important work done in building 91 aerodromes in New Zealand, and said a Pan-American Airways representative, who had visited Auckland,' had said the aerodromes at Whenuapai and Hobsonville were better than anything they had in the United States. The Minister emphasised the need of those who were not fighting to work harder to produce goods necessary to win the war. When a total of nearly 60,000 men, including those on home defence, had been taken out of production, it was impossible still to have the same standard of living, unless those left worked harder and produced more. “I am asking everybody here to use all the influence they can have in their jobs and among their friends to get them to work harder than they have ever done before to bring goods into being. That will enable us to keep the. soldiers in a fit condition,” he said. He gave a promise that if workers put their backs into it and produced more goods, he would see that they got them. “Both the Achilles and the Leander have done remarkable work,” said Mr Nash. “We get news fairly regularly of what the Leander is doing, and when that story is told we will be just as proud of all her men as we are of the men of the Achilles.” The following resolution was declared by the chairman to have been carried by an overwhelming majority, only a few voices being heard in dissent: “That this large gathering of Auckland citizens after hearing' Mr Nash, places on record its wholehearted confidence in him and the present Labour Government of New Zealand, and gives its sincere assurance to the Prime Minister of its loyalty and assistance in carrying out the splendid woik done in the interest of the people of New Zealand.”