DOMINIONS’ PART IN WAR

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 139, 8 March 1941, Page 12

DOMINIONS’ PART IN WAR

Great Contribution SOLIDARITY OF THE EMPIRE

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, March 6.

"The solidarity of a family like ours shows itself when one of its members is. in danger." Mr. Vincent Massey, High Commissioner for Canada, thus epitomized the war effort of a united Empire in a speech at Winchester in London City’s War Weapons Week. “The British Dominions are able to make a far greater contribution to the common cause in this war than in the last,” he said. “The population in 1914 of Canada, Australia and New Zealand and the white population of South Africa was about 15,000,000. It is now about 22,000,000, almost half as much again. In fact the four Dominions have now almost one-third of the white population of the entire Empire. “Our responsibilities have, of course, grown correspondingly. But these are not measured by statistics. Our efforts, like yours, will be bounded only by the utmost limit of our resources and strength.’’ Formidable Arsenal.

Speaking of Canada’s essential part in the war effort, Mr. Massey said: “Agriculture is still our foundation, but the produce of our factories now exceeds in value, even in peacetime, the produce of our farms. It was natural, therefore, that Canada should become a formidable arsenal in the war. Up to the end of last year war contracts had been placed in Canada for your Government and ours to an amount of more than 1,100,000,000 dollars. To deal with these great orders, new plants have been built and old ones enlarged at a cost up to the end of last year of more than 300,000,000 dollars. This expenditure was borne equally by Britain and Canada. An army of workers is being trained to man these expansions of industry. “About two-thirds of the total industrial capacity of Canada in 1038 is now devoted to war purposes. We make nearly every type of equipment, from Bren guns and bombs to tanks and antisubmarine vessels. We produce 600 war vehicles of all kinds daily. We are making all chemical supplies for the manufacture of explosives. We are now contemplating building destroyers. Machines and Men.

"This is a war of machines, but men are no less important today than ever in warfare. Our army in this war, as in the last, is the largest of our services. A Canadian corps is taking part today in the defence of Britain. Two more divisions and numerous other troops are in training in Canada. Canadians themselves are surprised at the size of our navy. Within a year it will have a personnel of more than 25,000 officers and ratings. The air is a natural sphere of activity for Canadians)- and the vanguard of all our fighting services was that band of Canadian youths who came over here, along with their fellow’s from tlie other Dominions in the years before the war and joined the R.A.F.” Referring to the great Empire air training scheme, Mr. Massey said: “This tremendous Imperial effort is the most striking actual co-operation the Empire has,, ever known. It is six months ahead in the actual programme of accomplishment. At the end of December twice as many pilots had graduated from the scheme as had been expected. Acceleration of movement of the vast scheme involving so many thousands of pilots and other air personnel had been a great achievement.”

NOT SUPPORTED

Rumour Of Nazi Troops In Morocco

(Received March 7, 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 6.

The Washington correspondent of the “New York Times” says that the Germans have taken over the Italian armistice commissioner’s duty in French Morocco, but official reports do not support rumours that large German forces are thereabouts. Official sources, however, declare that Germany, by the use of technicians has virtually assumed control of Tangier, which is regarded as a very important point in the control of shipping.