GEARED FOR WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 April 1943, Page 4

GEARED FOR WAR

AUSTRALIA’S MAGNIFICENT RECORD

IMPRESSIVE FIGURES. GIVEN BY FEDERAL PREMIER. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 1.20 p.m.) PERTH, This Day. “No country is more fully geared to a total war effort than Australia,” claims the Federal Prime Minister (Mr Curtin). He has quoted figures showing a substantial lift in Australian enlistment and war production during the past three months. The number of men sworn into the fighting forces has risen from 750,000 to 800,000. This figure represents one man out of fewer than every two of the male' population between the ages of 18 and 40, or one man in fewer than every five of the total male population. The number of men volunteering to fight anywhere in the world has increased from 422,000 to more than half a million —more than one man in three of those between 18 and 40. Men on full time war work, including members of the forces, now total more than a million and a half, or 60 per cent of Australian males between the ages of 14 and 65. Other figures quoted by Mr Curtin included: Australian factory workers in essential jobs number 539,000 —70 per cent of the nation’s total factory employees. Women employed in factory war work number 140,000. Almost 100,000 people are employed in Government munitions factories. The value of Australia’s munitions output is now at the rate of £80,000,000 a year. Three months ago the figure was £52,000,000.