WAR PRODUCTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 October 1941, Page 5

WAR PRODUCTION

ASTONISHING EXPANSION. IN AUSTRALIA. MUNITIONS SENT TO MIDDLE EAST. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, October 23. “Though lacking in sharpness in some ways, Australia’s war effort already has been quite remarkable,” said Sir Keith Murdoch, managing director of the “Herald,” Melbourne, today. Sir Keith is on his way to Britain. More than 170,000 men were abroad or undergoing final training for the A.1.F., he said. Four divisions were overseas with many reinforcements and an armoured division destined for overseas was being trained in Australia. The Commonwealth had also contributed something like 20,000 air crew members who were either serving already or .under training and more than 100,000 men had enlisted for ground work with the Air Force. “Australia is already supplying munitions to the Middle East,” Sir Keith continued. “There is a very wide range of works, nearly all based on the great steel-producing works at Newcastle, the biggest in the Empire. Some factories are jUst coming into production now and we are making and importing machine tools for still more factories.” Great quantities of boots and textiles were being supplied to India, where Australia was largely filling the part of British manufacturers for this type of equipment. Australia was producing, among other weapons, a small howitzer field gun, mobile and fixed anti-aircraft guns, -rifles and small-arms ammunition. One plant going up near Adelaide represented an expenditure of £6,000.000 and covered 300 acres. The British mission which recently visited Australia in connection with the development of the munitions industry was astonished at the production prospects, he added. It reported that it considered too long hours were being worked in some cases. One criterion, of course, was the amount of production but there had probably been instances of over-work.