REACHING PEAK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 March 1941, Page 6

REACHING PEAK

ARMAMENTS & MUNITIONS PROGRAMME CANADA'S BIG CONTRIBUTION. ( ” MANY TYPES OF WEAPONS BEING MADE. OTTAWA. Canada's huge armaments and munitions programme will attain its peak within a few months and it will then ’ have an estimated production of over 1.000.000.009 dollars annually, according to Mr W. F. Drysdale, directorgeneral of munitions production branch of the Department of Munitions and Supply. Most of this production, for which 200.000,000 dollars capital has been invested, will.be for the British Government. Mr Drysdale pointed out that guns and many other items of armaments and munitions are now being produced. or are about to be manufactured, which never before have been turned out in the Dominion. In January deI liveries of aerial bombs will comI mence; rifle grenades are in produc- ! lion;.- depth charges, anti-tank mines ; and trench mortar bombs will be produced before the end of March. Canada is producing the latest type of cast steel bombs of high destructive power, varying in size from 100 to 1,100 pounds in weight. On-guns, the director outlined the present and planned production to embrace the following: Production of barrels for 40-millimeter and 3.7 A.A. guns has been proceeding satisfactorily; work is in progress for the complete equipment in Canada of these guns, 40 mm. anti-aircraft guns, 3.7inch anti-aircraft guns. 25-pounder! guns and carriages, air-craft machine I guns, tank machine guns. 2-pounder | anti-tank guns and carriages, 4-inch ■ guns and mountings. 12-pounder guns and mountings, medium naval guns, Leo-Enfield rilles: by the middle of the year a substantial production of complete guns may be anticipated. On tanks, the manufacture of all components, except engines, of two types is well advanced. Armour plate for these, never before produced in Canada is being turned out. On ammunition, ■ fourteen plants are now producing shells, eight are being tooled for shells, 25 are producing ammunition components and live are being tooled for Ihe latter.

Valuable use is being made of the survey completed some time ago by the National Defence Department of 3,000 Canadian factories, stated Mr Drysdale. These plants were all classified with detailed lists of the tools and machines available. Practically all the available plants are now being used, in one way or the oilier, in the general armament programme. Mr Drysdale paid high tribute io the Canadian railway and automobile companies for their fine co-operation given in armament production. Canada is indebted to the United States for valuable co-operation on the production of necessary machine tools. British armament experts working with Mr Drysdale stated they were simply astounded at the hearty co-operation given and that Canada may be right proud of the armament products now being turned out. with the result that the Dominion is already an important armament producer.