BIG WAR EFFORT

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21368, 12 March 1941, Page 8

BIG WAR EFFORT

CANADA’S ACHIEVEMENT TRAINING OF AIRMEN TO BUILD DESTROYERS (United pre.-s Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, March 10 The number of graduates from the Empire Air Training Scheme is most secret, says the Times, but 10.000 are estimated to be enrolled and 15.000 to 20,000 more will be enrolled lor air crew dutTes this yea:. The last training school is expected to be open m July instead of September, and thereafter a staff of 40,000 will be available. It is expected that the number of pilots trained in Canada will be double the figure visualised a year ago. The Canadian Minister of Munitions, Mr C. D. Howe, announced in Ottawa that Canada was ready to build destroyers for Britain. Experts were en route from England. The bottleneck was labour. There were at present 20,000 engaged in shipbuilding in Canada, compared with 1500 before the war. The Government was investigating the possibility of increasing the capacity of shipyards on the Pacific Coast. Big War Expenditure Canada's actual war expenditure is at the rate of about £230,000,000 a year. Together with other expenses, including repatriation operations on Canadian securities held in Britain, the total expenditure amounts to about £390,000,000 a year. Of this sum rather less than half will be forthcoming from the revenue and the remainder will be raised on loan, states the Dominions Office. Diversion of Canada’s peacetime industry to war production meanwhile proceeds apace. During 1941, 200,000 additional men and women will be required for war industries. Contracts awarded by the Department of Munitions and Supply in a single week recently numbered 1776. The British Broadcasting Corporation states that Canada’s objectives for 1941 include the provision of 25 air squadrons for service overseas, and the present strength of the training scheme is to be doubled. By March of next year the Canadian Navy is to be increased to a strength of 413 ships and 27,000 men. Long-range bombers are to be built in Canada, and efforts will be concentrated on types of machines not obtain/ble from the United States. The Canadian Army is to be expanded considerably, and will include the provision of a tank brigade and an armoured division. From COOO to 6500 men will be called up each month, GIFTS FROM FIJI BOMBERS FOR BRITAIN 'United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) SUVA, March 10 Fiji has completed a proposal made recently to raise money for the purchase of three bombers for the Royal Air Force. With exchange, the sum of £66,600 was required. This has been attained, with a surplus of £BOO. A suggestion has been made that this surplus might be spent in an ambulance for the Royal Air F orce. In addition to these three bombers, two residents of Suva, Mr and Mrs S. H. Ellis, presented a Spitfire. CLAIMS BY ENEMY RAIDS ON BRITISH (Omcial Wireless* (Received March 12, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY, March 11 An Italian communique announced that German planes set on fire British armoured vehicles and motor vehicles in Cyrenaica. On the north front in East Africa planes attacked a strong detachment of British motor vehicles and set fire to about 30.