BRITAIN AT WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 August 1942, Page 2

BRITAIN AT WAR

MOBILISATION OF MEN & WOMEN REMARKABLE FIGURES. VAST OUTPUT OF WEAPONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, August 17. Britain’s wa reffort at the close of the third year of the war was reviewed by the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Sir Harry Batterbee, in an address to the Auckland Rotary Club. Fie gave an impressive ’survey at the close of which he mentioned supplies to New Zealand and stated that ’ ‘‘Britain has not forgotten New Zealand and will never forget New Zealand.” Sir Harry said that of Britain’s population of 47,000,000, 14,000,000 were under 14 or over 65, leaving 33,00,000 available for work. A large number of these were women engaged in the care of children and in household duties, feeding and looking after workers, but no fewer than were engaged in full-time war work. There were 77-J per cent of the boys and 67| per cent of the girls between 14 and 17 engaged in war work. Apart from full-time work, there was an enormous amount of part-time work. The number of men in the fighting forces was between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000. ■* The immense scale of the output from British war factories was sometimes not fully realised. In his speech on January 27, Mr Churchill stated that the United Kingdom produced in 1941 more than double the munitions equipment of the United States. Of course United States production had greatly increased during the present year. Today Britain’s air production equalled or surpassed that of Germany and her total armament production approached that of Germany, thus leaving almost the entire American production as a victory surplus for the United Nations. “We are producing tanks, jeeps, and other mechanical vehicles at the rate of 257,000 a year, and big guns at the rate of 40,000 a year.” said Sir Harry. War weapons output as a whole doubled in 1941. The achievement of agriculture was no less striking. Before the war Britain produced only one-third of her food requirements. Today Britain was producing two-thirds with practically no extra labour, and in spite of a great dilution of farm labour from up of men and replacement with women, juveniles and old people. Britain was today easily the most highly mechanised farming country m Europe, and had more than doubled the number of tractors since the outbreak oYwar. The guiding rule had been to sen munitions and equipment wherever they were most wanted for activ operations to the absolute maximum. The suggestion sometimes made thai azmilitary resources had been unnecessarily pent up in Britain had no foundation. The fact was that the United Kingdom, despite substantial imports from America, was a big net exporter of weapons. In 1941 it sent out 9781 aircraft, as against 2134 brought in. It sent out 3000 tanks as against 200 brought in. In October, 1941 alone it sent overseas 2300 army vehicles 1300 aircraft, 400,000 tons of military and air stores, and some hundreds of locomotives.