MR JONES’S TOUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 April 1943, Page 4

MR JONES’S TOUR

VISITS TO NEW ZEALAND FORCES TRIBUTE TO AMERICANS. SOME DETAILS OF DOMINION WAR EFFORT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) RUGBY, April 6. The New Zealand Minister of Defence (Mr Jones), who arrived in London today, said his main mission was to see New Zealand forces, in whatever theatre of war they might be serving, and to establish any contacts calculated to assist himself as Minister of Defence. Speaking of the Pacific war, Mr Jones said the Japanese had suffered enormous losses, but as fighters they were tough and it could not be said yet that everything was safe in the Pacific. The Japanese Zero fighter had not lived up to the high reputation it gained early in the war. It was possible that this was due to the loss of well-trained personnel. Mr Jones said he was most impressed with the rapidity and extent of the work done by the Americans at various air bases and was hopeful that the United States would be able to provide the aircraft necessary for New Zealand to engage in offensive as well as defensive operations. Like Australia, New Zealand had always placed the highest value upon aircraft as the best and quickest way to deal with attempts at invasion. They had been confirmed in that view by the successful operations in and around New Guinea and the Solomons. The New Zealand Air Force has grown rapidly from a personnel of about 100 in 1936 to its position today, when 10,000 men were serving overseas and 25,000 ’were training at home. New Zealand owed much to the advice of R.A.F. officers during the two critical years before the war. Compared with the last war, New Zealand was in a different position, as now she had to maintain a standing army for defence as well as to join in the

fighting overseas. Mr Jones revealed that New Zealand had 20,000 troops in various Pacific bases, though they had not yet taken part in fighting. The New Zealand Navy had grown from 700 men before the war to 7000. Of these 2000 were serving with the Royal Navy. Mr Jones said New Zealand had over 160,000 men in the fighting forces, or about one-tenth of its population. Despite this great withdrawal, the workers of New Zealand could show notable advances in industry. This had been possible because of New Zealanders’ full realisation of the vital necessity to help the United Kingdom and the United Nations to win the war. Longer hours were being worked by women and the wives of men in the forces who had entered industry of .all sorts. Many old people, including pensioners, had been ready to give up their benefits and go back to work. To save shipping, New Zealand had undertaken to play a full part in feeding the American forces in the South Pacific. The output of munitions was five times what it was before the war. New Zealand was now making much of her own small arms ammunition, mortars, hand-grenades and Bren-gun carriers, but she still had to rely upon abroad for guns, etc. Of 77,000 persons engaged in manufacturing industry, 58 per cent were working for the armed forces, the Government or certain export contracts.