NO HALT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1941, Page 7

NO HALT

IN SOVIET ARMS INDUSTRY PRODUCTION MAINTAINED. EVEN UNDER BOMBING RAIDS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 28. One of Moscow’s great industrials plants which supplies the front with arms and munitions, while another part of it which has recently removed proceeds with production in_ the rear of the armies, is describde by a news agency correspondent in Moscow. The shops have been producing automatic rifles, trench mortars and shells since the outbreak of the war without interruption in spite of air raids and the battle, at the approaches to the capital. The Russian automatic rifle is claimed by the chief engineer to be better than its German counterpart. It weighs six and a half pounds and holds 71 bullets. The Germans tried to reduce the plant to ashes by dropping thousands of incendiary bombs every night*during the worst raids, but the precautions were perfect and the workers, who were splendidly trained and unafraid, collected a whole arsenal of duds and bombs which were rendered harmless. A large number of women are working in this factory.. A system of 25 hours’ work followed by 48 hours’ rest which was introduced because of the frequent alerts will be replaced at the New Year by a regular eight-hour day.