DEFENCE PLANS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20265, 6 August 1937, Page 9

DEFENCE PLANS

AUSTRALIAN MEASURES. STEEL SHORTAGE SERIOUS. GREAT NAVAL EXPANSION. While It Is certain that the Australian Government Is planning a big defenoe programme, the public Is still in the dark whether the main scheme will involve additions to the navy or the augmenting of the at present Infant air force. However, whatever the decision of the Australian Minister of Defence, Sir Arohdale Parkhill, the navy is sure to receive something of the defence allocations, and in all likelihood the Cockatoo Naval Dockyards, Sydney, will build ehlps for Its own country In a more comprehensive manner than ever before, In the opinion of Mr T. B. Whyte, superintendentengineer of the Cockatoo Dockyard and Engineering Company, who Is visiting New Zealand testing the Union Steam Ship Company’s liner Awatea, the alterations to which he supervised at Sydney. Mr Whyte, a New Zealander by birth, is a brother of Mr A. B. Whyte, of Hamilton, with whom he has been spending a few days before returning to Australia on the Awatea to-day. Meeting Steel Demand. Naval building, and other engineering in Australia, in common with other parts of the Empire, has suffered a serious handicap by the present shortage of steel, Mr Whyte told a Waikato Times reporter. The extensive Broken Hill mines in Australia are not oapable of satisfying the steel demand in the Commonwealth, and the Government has planned the expenditure of £2,500,000 on a soheme aiming at overtaking the steel shortage. This was explained by Mr Whyte, who said that for the scheme the Australian Iron and Steel Works had been recently constructed. Mr Whyte was engagjd on oonstruotlonal work when the ooncern was built. A comprehensive plant had been installed, Including two new blast furnaces, extra rolling mills, and the most modern coke plant In the Southern Hemisphere. This will increase the output considerably. At present the work* are controlled by the Broken Sill Proprietary, and operate at Port Kembla, in the centre of the southern coalfield. The Broken Hill smelting works are at Newcastle, in the oentre of the northern coalfields. The iron ore for tooth works is all mined in South Australia. Broken Hill control* another ore field in Tasmania, while Australian Iron and Steel will open up one of the Islands in the Impie Sound, where, Mr Whyte -said, was one of the richest ore deposits in the world. These schemes will no doubt accelerate Australians steel output and relieve the shortage. lino and Copper. Questioned as to the effeot on the Australian oopper and zlno industry of the extensive British armament programme, Mr Whyle said that the mines had benefited considerably, as was •videnoed by the fact that the principal eopper mine in the Commonwealth, at Mount Lisle, had commenced paying a dividend for the first time in six or eight years. However, there was never likely to be a shortage of copper or zinc in Australia, for the mines would be capable of satisfying whatever demands armament manufacturer* in the Empire might make. The Cockatoo yards, where Mr Whyte has been employed since 1914, have recently been taken over by a company from Government control. The dock, with the exception of one in Canada, is the only naval construction yard in the Empire, outside the British isles. Bhlps for Australia. Since 1918, and before being taken over by private interest*, the yard constructed two cruisers, five destroyers, three lighthouse steamers, and two large cargo vessels of 12.000 ton*’ displacement. The major work of the yard comprised repairs and refitting. However, since being taken over by the company, the yards have built two sloops and four tugs for the Australian Navy. Under the new defence programme the docks are expecting to engage on a new naval programme, constructing new ships to strengthen Australia’s naval arm. To illustrate the more efficient operations of private enterprise compared with Government control, Mr Whyte said that the Government lost £BO,OOO annually on the dock, while the company, after paying taxes and rent, was able to pay a profit after the first year. Other armaments, such as gun mountings, were constructed at the dock, which also undertook work for private concerns. ’