MUNITIONS OUTPUT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 February 1943, Page 4

MUNITIONS OUTPUT

AUSTRALIAN PROGRARME REACHES PEAK EQUIPMENT FROM BRITAIN.' VAST SCALE OF EXPANSION. (By Telegraph—Pifiess Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, February 24. Australia’s vast munitions programme* has now reached its peak. Arms shortages of 12 months ago have been transformed into surpluses, and some of the factories have transferred to new production instead of continuing to build up a surfeit of weapons some of which may be made obsolete by the rapid advance of war. This remarkable change in the Australian war supply situation has been emphasised by two recent Ministerial announcements. The first was an assurance by the Minister of the Army, Mr Forde, that Australia’s increasing arms output would soon permit a diversion to the Volunteer Defence Corps (the equivalent of New Zealand’s Home Guard) of modern weapons. The second was a statement by the Minister of Munitions, Mr Makin, that in some items the Australian Army is now being supplied with more equipment than it can absorb. Discussing the Commonwealth’s arms situation, the “Sydney Morning Herald’s” munitions correspondent, Edward Axford, says today that the situation by which the surpluses have been established in some items is wrapped up in three major considerations: (1) The virtual attainment of peak production in the war factories; (2) the creation of large reserves of arms and ammunition; and (3) the failure of the Japanese so far to involve the Australian land forces in resisting a fullscale invasion. He cites small arms ammunition as an item of production which is now being reduced because the stocks are regarded as far beyond the immediate requirements. Nearly 18 months ago Australia’s production of small arms ammunition, which was then in urgent need, was revealed to be more than 1,000,000 rounds a day. “Australia’s armament programme was designed op a vast scale to equip not only the Commonwealth’s forces, but also those of the Empire countries like India, Malaya and New Zealand,” says Mr Axford. “Up to the fall of Singapore the plan was to supply from Australia all the forces of the Allied Nations east of Suez. But for the collapse of the United Nations in the Far East we should be exporting arms and ammunition in large quantities to half a dozen countries in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Instead, we are retaining this output for ourselves, and, in addition to the local production, we are now beginning to receive certain types, of war equipment from Great Britain vzhich we had not been in a position to expect since the fall of France.”