AMERICA’S DEFENCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 246, 25 July 1940, Page 6

AMERICA’S DEFENCE.

NAVAL AND MILITARY FORCES. INCREASED EXPENDITURE MOOTED. (United Press Association. —Copyright.) (Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) WASHINGTON, July 24. The Assistant-Secretary for War (Mr Johnson) in a press interview said that the United States wanted full equipment for 1,000,000 men immediately. Hie said: “We expect to have productive capacity to supply complete equipment for 1,000,000 men every three months, exclusive of aircraft, the programme for which is for 18,000 annually. Officials estimate that 4,500,000 men without dependlents are not engaged on essential tasks and are thus available for the Army. The Secretary for the Navy (Colonel Knox) announced that the Navy had acquired seven auxiliary vessels from private companies and intended getting 27 more. It was iniended that mobile defence battalions should he organised as a marine corps for instant action in any part of the continent. Six such ‘‘fire brigade” battalions, consisting of 75 officers and 750 men would each he organised “for action whenever required. as quickly as they can he loaded on: the boats.”

General William Shock! (Assistant Chief of Staff) told Con-guess that no married men would ho included in the proposed October draft of 400,000 men. He said the Army would never draft men with dependents in peacetime. It is understood that Army authorities told the Senate Military Committee that the Army’s total defence programme, including compulsory registration, starting within five weeks, would cost 0,000,000,000 dollars next year. This figure represents an increase of 2,200,000,000 dollars over the proposed appropriations.