WAS MATERIAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 135, 5 December 1939, Page 7

WAS MATERIAL

ORDERS FROM HOME

INDUSTRIAL AUSTRALIA

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

SYDNEY, November 22.

Australia will supply large oversea orders for anti-aircraft guns, machineguns, anil ammunition. The number of munition factory ; operatives will be increased from 8000 to 12,000 in the next twelve months. Of £8,000,000 to be spent on munition-making, pro-1 bably £4,800,000 will be in wages. Sir Frederick Stewart, representing the Minister of Supply, announcing this in the House of Representatives, said he had received a cable message from the Minister of Supply (Mr. Casey) in London, saying that the British Government had ordered various types of munitions worth several millions of pounds, with prospects of more to follow. The Commonwealth was considering spending another £1,000,000 to extend munition factories. In ten weeks the Government had doubled the expenditure on munition factories contemplated a couple of years ago. Factories were still being built. Authorisation for munitions might exceed £8,000,000. Modern and powerful anti-aircraft guns, which would be supplied to overseas orders, were being made at the Government Ordinance Factory, said Sir Frederick Stewart. They were rapidly approaching the finishing stage. At the small arms factory a large oversea order for machine-guns was being accelerated. Hundreds of additional employees had been engaged in the last ten weeks. . Sir Frederick Stewart said the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation would soon be producing six Wirraway planes a week Two prototype trainer aircraft were undergoing trials. The Government was beginning to establish a factory capable of producing the most modern plane engines.