VALUABLE ALLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 102, 1 May 1940, Page 8

VALUABLE ALLY.

INDIAN WAR EFFORT. Expansion Of Army And Air Force. GENEROSITY OF PRINCES. British Official Wireless. RUnBY, April 30. The >calp of India's war effort imost impre--ive when its many niamic-tat ion- over the pa-T eight month- an» seen in per-pective. Regular unit- <>£ the Indian Army are now serving overseas in France. Malaya. Aden and Egypt. Indian territorial- and men of the auxiliary forces are serving hy the ride of their professional comrades. The Army i- Uoini' expanded in all brandies of the service. and apart from the growth of the regular unit?, eight new territorial l»atia]ion> have been formed and more are contemplated. Pilots ani mechanics for the growing Air Force are beinj systematically recruited and trained in India in addition to five new auxiliary volunteer flights which have already been brought into being. Recruiting ha- l*een so successful that the authorities have had to slow up the rate of volunteer-. Indian Princes have been overwhelmingly generous. To quote one in?tance. the Nizam of Hyderabad gave £10o.(HX> toward the cost of a Royal Air Force squadron which bear- his name. So many contributions in money, or in kind, from ri< ii and poor alike, have been sent to the Viccroy that he has found it necessary to open a War Purpo.-es Fund, the total of which is al>out £t'iW.iXH.i. Generous donations al-o have been made to the Indian Red C'ro-i. St. ■John Ambulance Association and other funds. In '.tie ind>i-tii.l field L-rrat ordnance factories are prodii, ing munition? at a ?]>ecd and in -juantily which a few months s:o would hardly hau* been contemplated. WK-u tin- expansion .-(•heme- are complete it i- ante inated tliat India will K-como an in :■'•riant centre of munition? pro.;ii«-tior.. able ii"t only to meet her own nee 1-.. but. to an apple, iabl.- extent, tho-e of til? Allied force- abroad.