GREAT EXPANSION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 July 1941, Page 6

GREAT EXPANSION

U.S. AIRCRAFT PLANT. Typical of the enormous increase in the output and expansion of the American aircraft industry is the case of the Lockhead Corporation, which is supplying steadily-increasing numbers of military aircraft to Britain and British Dominions, as well as to the American air arm. During April the company built and delivered 12,150,600 dollars' worth of planes, exceeding the previous record of 9,100,000 dollars established in March. These figures brought the total for the first four months of 1941 to 32,998,000 dollars, as compared with 44,000,000 dollars for the entire year 1940. The company hired 3540 men during the month, bringing the total employees up to 28,930. In one single day 302 applicants for jobs were interviewed, and during one four-day period 645 men were engaged. The Lockheed Corporation is producing the remarkable new P-38 pursuit plane (the Lightning) for the United States Army Air Corps and Great Britain, and also the famour Hudson bomber for the Royal Air Force.

The Vega Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Lockheed, will shortly occupy a new 7,000,000 dollar plant in which a new bomber, the Vega Ventura, will be built for Britain.