SYDNEY PROGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 172, 22 July 1940, Page 5

SYDNEY PROGRESS.

RUSH TO ENLIST.

RECRUITING MAY SUSPEND.

HOME DEFENCE FORCE.

(Special—Bj Air Mail.)

SYDNEY, July 17

The rush to enlist has been so great that an announcement is expected any day that recruiting is being suspended. The Federal Government's main trouble is not 60 much the building of the necessary new camp, as the provision of the vast and varied equipment required, and it is known that the Government now wishes to concentrate on the training and equipment of the projected Home Defence Force of 250,000 men. This will consist of 80,000 A.I.F. members in Australia, 20,000 militia men in camp, 5000 garrison troops, 4000 permanent forces, 11,000 militia men who have been called up for the duration of the war, 40,000 militia men who have completed four months in camp. The 'balance required, 90,000, will be found by calling up new classes of compulsory trainees.

Progress With 'Planes. Although the project to Manufacture Beaufort bombers does not appear to be making very rapid progress, chiefly owing to the difficulty of getting the necessary machine tools and special metals required, good progress is being made in other directions in 'plane building in Australia. The Commonwealth's first aeroplane factory, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation's plant at Fisherman's Bend, in Victoria, from the beginning of next year will turn out 400 Wirraways a year —an average of more than one a day. The factory employs 27G.> hands, and SO 'planes in various stages of construction can be seen in the works at one time. It is also manufacturing aeroplane engines, which will also be turned out at the rate 6"f 400 a year. Although about half of the material needed for,

the engines has to be imported, they are entirely made in Australia except for the magnetos and propeller governors. The work involves, machining to one-ten-thousandth of an inch. Railways in Figures. After farming, the railways are probably the largest single economic factor in the industrial life of this State. Addressing the Millions Club this week, the assistant "Commissioner, Mr. Garside, said that since 1855 the railways had never failed to show an excess of earnings over working csjienses. However, although the excess for the year was £5,750,000, equivalent to 3f per cent on the invested capital, £150,000,000. the railways, because of sinking fund charges and the pegging of the exchange, showed a deficit of about ££00,000." The revenue, £19,950,000, was a record.

The railways employ 40,000 people, and their capital represents 40 per cent of the total State debt. In a year they haul 185,000,000 passengers, 10,000,000 head of live stock, 7,000,000 tons of coal and coke, 2,000.000 tons of wheat and flour and 1.100,000 bales of wool. Spending £5,837,159 on stores and materials, 00 per cent of which are Australian, the i ail ways are the largest purchaser in the Commonwealth.