MILITIA AND A.R.P.

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 138, 7 March 1942, Page 6

MILITIA AND A.R.P.

Current Australian Plans “SCORCHED EARTH” (“Dominion” Correspondent.) SYDNEY, March 1. Thousands of men who were hitherto exempt from military service have become liable for full-time duty in the militia as a result of a revision of the reserved occupations list. Also every available man in the age groups already proclaimed (single men and widowers without children, 18-45; married men, 18-35) will be called up within two months. In addition, lit men under 45 at Army Headquarters in each State will be transferred to positions in the field.

The Federal Minister of Home Security, Mr. Lazzarini, said recently that the question of compulsory A.R.B. service would have to be examined if the serious shortage of A.R.B. workers, particularly fire-fighters, continued. Because fire-fighting and heavy demolition work requires young, vigorous meu and is unsuitable for men over military age, or those in reserved occupations, it may be necessary to consider adoption of the British system of offering men called up for compulsory military service the option of joining a full-time compulsory A.R.B. fire-fighting and demolition organization. Compulsion may be extended later to provide for service iu other A.K.B. work by men over 45 and those in reserved occupations. Destruction Review.

It is announced that the members of the committee which has been formed to draft a “scorched earth” policy m New South Wales include a forestry expert, a military officer and a police representative. The Premier of New Soutli Wales, Mr. McKell, had also recently announced that a committee had been formed to plan evacuation of stock from coastal to inland areas. The committees will review potential battle areas and make plans so that immediate destruction may be carried The evacuation of stock constitutes a major problem in such areas as northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Where the majority of Australia’s vast pastoral centres are situated. In New South Wales alone there were 2.811,000 cattle at the end of 1008, including 1,026,000 dairy cows. In Queensland the cattle total was 6,0Ji,000 (1,051,000 dairy cows). The coastal areas carry by far the greatest concentration of stock in both States. At a conference in Sydney it was recommended that no dispersal of stock be made unless an invasion was threatened immediately. The conference suggested that an immediate reduction ot stock should be carried out progressively in coastal areas. Mounting stocks of wheat, accumulated because of the curtailment of shipping space' for exports, is another urgent problem in Australia. In Victoria farmers and cooperative associations have endeavoured to meet storage problems by the construction of temporary silos, pooling of transport resources to move wheat harvests from the ftirms to storage centres and make-shift storage facilities at railway sidings in the country. However, the amount of wheat grown in Australia iu the coming season will have to be considerably curtailed, according to the Federal Minister for Commerce, Mr. Scully.