EQUIPPING THE SOLDIER

Evening Star, Issue 23728, 8 November 1940, Page 9

EQUIPPING THE SOLDIER

A HUGE TASK MAGNIFICENT RESPONSE OF MANUFACTURERS [Per United Press Association.] NEW PLYMOUTH, November 7. “ The clothing and personal equipment of our armed forces is a huge task, which has been tackled with great efficiency and success by the New Zealand manufacturers,” said the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan, addressing .the Associated Chambers of Commerce conference this morning. “ By the end of this year,” _Mr Sullivan said, “ our factories will have produced 340,000 pairs of boots for the forces. The weekly production by the woollen mills has increased as follows; —Blankets—pairs for the week ended January 27, 1,450; for the week ended September 30, 5,475; pairs of socks have increased from 8,400 to 19,247; yards of greatcoating from 1,150 to 6,408; yards of tunic cloth from 6,950 to 17,704. The clothing factories since March, 1940, have produced 60,000 suits of battle dress, and in addition they have made 305,906 articles of clothing for the Army, including such items as greatcoats, tunics, trousers, hats, etc., and for the Air Force a further 83,000 articles have been made. There is a rigid system of inspection during manufacture, and that this has been successful is proved by the high quality of tho articles, which have been favourably commented on by numerous overseas sources. “ Tho supply organisation,” the Minister added, “ covers a very wide field, and is administered by 11 controllers under my direction, whoso activities are co-ordinated through a secretariat which is in the Department of Industries aud Commerce. One of the activities of the supply organisation was the accumulation of reserves of certain essential commodities before the outbreak of war, and these have been of tremendous value.”