AUSTRALIA ARMS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 28, 1 August 1940, Page 11

AUSTRALIA ARMS

STRONGER THAN EVER

WAR BILL FOR FOUR YEARS

MELBOURNE, July SI,

An official statement issued by the Commonwealth Government today deals with the effective manner in which Australia's defence foundation has been laid. The statement says the defences had never been so strong, enabling the nation to become selfreliant

The cost of the war programme for the four-year period from 1938 to June, 1942, will be £454,000,000. The total enlistments for the three, fighting services during the eleven months of the^ war to June 30 were 121,000.

The number of persons at present engaged in producing munitions is 15,200. The output .of munitions by the end of the present year will be eight times greater than in April, 1939. By the end of next June there will be 150,000 employed in the Australian armanient industry. Naval expansion has also been very substantial as, in addition to the ships of the Australian Navy, five vessels have been converted to merchant cruisers, 30 to war auxiliary vessels, while more than 250 merchant ships have been defensively equipped. Ten destroyers and patrol vessels are at pre-sent-under construction in Australian shipyards. . The statement also refers to splendid headway in the building of aircraft, for which £8,000,000 has been earmarked. Since the outbreak of the war 60,000 militiamen have received one month's training, 75,000 three months', and 54,000 four months'.