EMPIRE’S WAR RESOURCES

Evening Star, Issue 23832, 12 March 1941, Page 8

EMPIRE’S WAR RESOURCES

'AIR TRAINING SCHEME IN FULL SWING L. CANADA TO BUILD CRUISERS JPress Association —By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, March 10. ‘ The Times ’ says that the number of graduates from the Empire air training scheme is most secret, but 10,000 are estimated to be enrolled at present, and 15.000 to 20,000 more will be enrolled for air crew duties this year. The last training school is expected to open in July, instead of September, and thereafter a staff of 40,000 will be available. It is expected that the number of pilots trained in Canada will be double the figure visualised a year ago. A big speed-up in Canadian war plans for 1941 is reported. The home air strength is to be increased. An increase in the Canadian Navy to 413 ships* and 27,000 men is to be achieved by the end of March of next year, compared with the present strength of 175 ships and 15,000 men. The construction of long-range bombers is to be carried out in Canada, and machines not obtainable in the United States are to he built. During the next 12 months the 3rd Canadian Division now in training in Canada and the balance of the troops of the let and 2nd Canadian Divisions now in training in England’ar© to proceed overseas. Two motorised divisions are also to be sent from Canada. To meet this programme, men are to be called up at the rate of from 6.000 to 6,500 a mouth. The Minister of Munitions and Supply, Mr Q. D. Howe, announced to-day that Canada is ready to build destroyers for Britain. Experts are en route from England. Mr Howe said the “bottle neck’’ was labour. There were at present 20.000 men engaged in shipbuilding throughout Canada, compared with 1,500 before the war. Mr Howe said the Government was investigating the possibility of increasing the capacity of the shipyards on the Pacific Coast. AUSTRALIA'S PLANS DRIVE FOR RECRUITS , MELBOURNE, March 11. Plans for an immediate drive for recruits and for hundreds of additional men weekly from Victoria for the ‘A.T.F. reinforcements were announced to-day in the Southern Command area. The objective is 200 men a day. The men enlisted are to be over and above .the monthly quota of 1,500 allocated to [Victoria when general recruiting was resumed on February 24. Officers said the increased intake was necessary because of the increased A.I.F. activity overseas and the formation of new units in Australia. Since the resumption of general recruiting preference has been given to single men, but it is regarded as significant that to-day’s official announcement merely made mention of men be-, tween the ages of 20 and 40. The men accepted will be eligible for allotment to the armoured division when it is raised. CANADA'S WAR EXPENDITURE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 10. Canada’s actual war expenditure is now at the rate of about 1,000,000,000 dollars a year (about ,£230,000,000). Together with other expenses, including repatriation, operations on Canadian securities held in Britain, the total expenditure amounts to about 1,700,000,000 dollars a year. Of this sum rather less than half will be forthcoming from the Dominion Government’s revenues, and the remainder will be raised on loan, states the Dominions Office. The diversion of Canada’s peacetime industry to war production meanwhile proceeds apace, and 200,000 additional men and women will be required during 1941 for Canada’s war industries. Contracts awarded by the Department of Munitions and Supply in a single week recently numbered 1,776, and had a total value of over 8,000,000 dollars. NEW ZEALAND CASUALTIES AIR FORGE LOSSES [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, March 11. The following casualties were reported to-night;— Sergeant Daniel Munro Walker, R.N.Z.A.F., died of injuries received in a flying accident; next-of-kin, Mr Walker. 6 Kahu road, Fendalton, Christcnurch. Sergeant Andrew Moore Brodie, R.N.Z.A.F., missing on operations; next-of-kin, Mrs Brodie, 16a Rawiri street,' Gisborne. Sergeant Brodie was born at Gisborne and was educated at the Marist Brothers’ School in Gisborne and at St. Patrick’s College, Silverstream, where ho took a prominent part in sport. At the time of his enlistment ho whs employed in a clerical capacity by the Public Works Department. He was mistakenly reported as a prisoner of war late in February. Acting Flying-officer John Austin Strong, whose death in an aircraft accident in England was reported yesterday, was a young New Zealand scientist, wlih was appointed in October, 1933, Travis radiological physicist under tho Now Zealand branch of the Empire Cancer Campaign Society. In 1939 he entered the Scientific Department of the War Office, Inter joining the R.A.F.', where he was engaged in scientific work. ' Ho was a son of Mr T. B. Strong, late Director of Education.

Such ot the cable news In this Issue as is so headed has appeared In ‘ The Times,' and is sent to this paper by special permission. It should be understood that the opinions are not those of * The Times' unless expressly stated to be so.