KENYA’S EFFORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 March 1941, Page 6

KENYA’S EFFORT

WHOLE COUNTRY UNITED WOMEN CARRY ON. i FINE PATRIOTIC SPIRIT. Kenya has made great progress with its own war effort but intends to intensify it in every possible way. Sir Heijry Moore, the Governor, opening the latest session of the Legislative Council, revealed that 39 out of every 100 men over 18 years of age were serving with the armed forces. The Earl of Errol, formerly Deputy-Director of Manpower and now Assistant Military Secretary, has stated that 47 per cent of the non-offi-cial male population is in the army. These figures do not include men who have left to colony to serve overseas. Of all the men in the colony not employed in Government positions, 1,167 men under 30 have been exempted from military service. Apart from the police force 26 per cent of Government officials have been released for active service. - Kenya, nevertheless, realises the necessity for maintaining, and actually increasing, agricultural production because the country's population has been more than doubled by the arrival of many thousands of South African troops. With the settlers away with the forces, their womenfolk are carrying on and some of them are running ' whole groups of farms., Everywhere elderly settlers are undertaking to manage farms for neighbours who have been called up. The military authorities help by granting men special leave when possible for harvesting purposes. . * There is no shortage of native labour at present. Farmers are anxious lest increasing demands by the fighting units and the military labour service might create a difficult position, but the Government has taken powers whereby natives holding key positidns on farms may be kept at work for which they have been specially trained.

11l n i Besides running farms, the women ci | of Kenya are engaged in service with I the Red Cross, the St. John Ambulance. a J the British Legion, the East African ji I Women's League and the Kenya Women's Emergency Organisation. Of the s 205 V.A.D.'s enrolled, 117 are at present on service. V.A.D.'s will assist in ... the sick leave homes which are to be ' organised soon to accommodate 1.0(10 men. e Financially Kenya's war effort has (been increased by the additional war taxation imposed in August, which has not only wiped out an estimated deficit, but provided a surplus. The result is that the Kenya Government L , hopes to be able to transfer about .£ 100.000 as a gift to Britain before “ the end of the month. The Kenya and Uganda Railways ’ | have lent Britain £200.000 free of ; interest for the duration of the war. I I The first East African war loan lists , I open on December 17. ' In addition, the population has con* " tributed generously to the Kenya War ' Welfare Fund, the London Mobile ' Canteens Fund and the Spitfire Fund. ’; Native tribes throughout the territory I I are making regular contributions to ' war funds. i The spirit animating Kenya’s patri- | olic population has won the admiration of all South African troops who. after four or five months here, have been able to observe how every man and woman has joined in the common cause.