BREN GUNS

Evening Star, Issue 23817, 22 February 1941, Page 19

BREN GUNS

MANUFACTURE IN AUSTRALIA NOW IN RAPID PRODUCTION The first batch of Bren light machineguns manufactured in Australia have passed final firing trials at the Commonwealth small arms factory, Lithgow (N.S.W.), and Bren guns of 300 per cent. Australian manufacture are now in rapid production. From now onwards, says a Commonwealth Department of Information bulletin, they will be turned out in a steady stieam to a schedule recently revised ro provide for a largo increase in production. To establish manufacture, no less than 72,944 tools, gauges, etc., are necessary, each made from high-grade steel to a precision ranging from onethousandth to ono-tenthonsandth of an inch. To-day there are .‘l7 firms engaged iu this work, 32 in New South Wales, 10 in Victoria, four in South Australia, and one in Queensland — not one of which had undertaken high precision work of this special character two years ago. The Australian steel industry undertook orders for special typos of steel, and has been able to maintain deliveries. Members of the British Supply Mission, investigating munitions production in Australia and Now Zealand, will take back to Ragland one souvenir of historic value tor the .archives o. the British Ministry of Supply—the cartridge ease of the first round ot ammunition fired from an Australianmade Bren gnu. The mission regards the Lithgow factory in Now .South Wales as comparable in managerial direction, lay-out, equipment, and technical skill of staff and operatives with the Royal Small Arms Factory, Knfield, at which the Bren gnu wa evolved after a considerable period ot experiment from one of seven models produced at Brno, Czecho-Slovakia.