VERY GREAT INCREASE

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 130, 28 November 1940, Page 11

VERY GREAT INCREASE

WAR PRODUCTION

BRITAIN LOOKS AHEAD

TIME FOR ATTACK

VAST AID FROM U.S.A.

LONDON, November 27,

Britain is to call up an enormous number of men for service in the Navy, the Army, and the Air Force. In spite of air raids, production of equipment of all kinds is going on at a greatly increased rate. This was announced in the House of Commons today by Mr. Bevin, Minister of Labour, and Mr. Greenwood, Minister without Portfolio.

Mr. Bevin said that the increase in the workers' bonus earnings proved that in spite of bombs and everything else Britain's production was making a very great increase, and that increase was being maintained.

Mr. Greenwood said that in equipping the armed forces the Government was looking well ahead and preparing for the time when they should attack at some point abroad. Although recent air attacks had slightly slowed up the process of expansion, Britain's output of war equipment had been more than trebled since war began, and the production of some fighting materials had increased fourfold. In the last six months Britain's shipbuilding output had increased by more than 50 per cent. The Dominions were making a great contribution, and Canada's effort, for instance, would far outweigh anything she did in the last war. The Royal Air Force and the blockade were undermining German striking power. Mr. Purvis, head of the British Purchasing Commission in the United States, who is home on a visit, today described the ever-increasing flow of weapons, and particularly aircraft, from America. Many American aeroplane manufacturers were ahead of schedule, he said.

"If I were a Nazi in Germany next j year," Mr. Purvis said, "I would be very worried about the amount of war material Britain is getting from the United States." THE SPIRIT OF BRITAIN. An indication of the vast amount of material coming from America is given in the figures for British overseas trade published today. These show that the trade for.the first ten months of this year went up by nearly £230,000,000, compared with the same period last year. The bulk of this big increase is provided by imports, mostly war material, and even the exports were a little larger than last year. The British people are finding the money to pay for all this material. It is announced that small I savers have contributed £475,000,000 in the first year of the war savings campaign. This is half a million more than the..maximum which it was hoped to get. It seems that this spirit is recognised in America, for the latest Gallup survey of opinion there shows that the number of people there who think Britain will win has doubled since last May.

Sixty-three per cent, of Americans now expect a British victory, and only 7 in 100 think the Germans will win.