WAR PRODUCTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 July 1941, Page 6

WAR PRODUCTION

MR CHURCHILL GIVES FACTS

Speech in House of Commoas ENORMOUS AND CONTINUING EXPANSIONBEING SPURRED ON RUTHLESSLY (By Telegraph—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 11.50 a.m.) RUGBY, July 29. . Speaking in the House of Commons debate on production, Mr Churchill replied in detail to some of the more serious criticisms advanced in previous debates, and gave, an impressive series of comparative figures showing great increases in the supply of warlike stocks. “Since this Government took over,’’ he said, “the progress cf expansion has been enormous and continuous and it is being spurred on ruthlessly. The picture so luridly drawn of a chaotic and convulsive struggle of three Supply Departments, without guidance or design, is one which no dount will be pleasing to our enemies, but happily has no relation to the f acts ’ , Mr Churchill recalled the speech he made on January 22, in which he gave in detail the form of supply organisation he proposed to adopt, and to which he proposed to adhere. He stated that, as Minister of Defence, he had prepared for the War Cabinet a general scheme based on the forward programmes of the Fighting Services, which brought together the whole Home munitions production and imports programme, and prescribing the largest reasonable targets at which to aim. Pointing out that each Fighting Department in the main had its own chain of factories, Mr Churchill said that except on the fringe of these powerful organisations there was almost no friction or overlapping between one Department and another. He shortly reviewed departmental organisation and said: We have not a totalitarian State, but we are steadily, and I believe as fast as possible, working ourselves into a total war organisation.