“MORE TO FOLLOW”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 September 1941, Page 6

“MORE TO FOLLOW”

TANKS & OTHER SUPPLIES FOR RUSSIA BRITAIN’S CONTINUING EFFORT. ALL THAT CAN BE TRANSPORTED BEING SENT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) RUGBY, September 25. This week’s apportionment of the British tank output to Russia is no mere flash in the pan effort. This is made clear in an authoritative statement to the effect that assistance will continue after this week and on an increased scale. “More to follow” will be the slogan for the future. The Government has already planned for the delivery of tanks to Russia in increasing quantities over the next nine months and there are reserve plans for an extension of this programme for eighteen months or two years. Before long it is hoped that British tanks will be in active service on the Russian front. The sending of a British technical staff to Russia and of a reciprocal number of Russian experts to Britain are at present under discussion in order that the Russian military authorities may get used to handling British types as quickly as possible. The type of tank Britain is at present sending to Russia follows the : request of the Russian military authorities. This type, which is of proved reliability, has been sufficiently long in production for spares to be a vailable 4 with delivery and to be easily handled by the Russians. Britain already has made a very substantial contribution to Russia in raw materials, and is committed to a much heavier monthly programme of munitions and material. At present there is being sent to Russia the maximum that can be got there by any system of transport now open. It is pointed out that tanks from Britain must be shipped with guns and ammunition to make them useable, and the tanks sent will make a substantial call upon all armament production, because the weapons will be of calibres for which no Russian ammunition is available. Britain will have to make equivalent weapons and ammunition because of the difference in calibre. The number of' tanks being sent to Russia constitutes a heavy sacrifice in the part of Britain. Railways and roads in the Middle East are being developed so that there can be a greatly increased traffic on this front, with a view to much greater assistance for Russia. ■ IRAN ROUTE EXTENSION OF RAILWAYS AND ROADS. LONDON, September 24. Teheran reports that British and Russian experts are hastening the organisation of transport of war material to Russia from Britain and the Empire across Iran. The Iranian railway, the message states, has proved inadequate, for which reason the line across Iraq will also be used and the trans-Iranian line from Bandar Shahpur to the” Caspian Sea will be extended to Tabriz, connecting with the Russian transCaucasian railway. Material from India and Australia is already traversing Iran, and some material, including British and American, is being landed at the Iraqui port of Basra. Considerable improvements will be necessary in the transIranian line before it is capable of handling increased traffic, and the port of Bandar Shahpur will also be extended. FINE BRITISH EFFORT. In Britain reports reaching the Ministry of Supply from factories in all parts of the country show that the tank output for the first three days of the “Tanks for Russia” week has increased over the corresponding period a month ago by 50 per cent. This means that for every two tanks produced a month ago three are now produced. Not only has the tank assembly work been speeded up, but also the thousands of components and accessories are being turned out at a greatly increased rate. Machine-gun mountings and engines are pouring out from the component factories. The big drive is reflected right through to the foundries producing the castings and the rolling mills turning out the armour plate. In fact, the speed-up is having a repercussion throughout the whole armaments industry. This magnificent effort of the workers, states the Ministry, has acted in the same way as a gigantic foot being pressed hard down

on an accelerator pedal, and there can be no doubt that the spurt will be maintained for many weeks to come. The British Red Cross has allocated £250,000 for immediate aid to Russia.