BRITAIN’S DEFENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 January 1939, Page 7

BRITAIN’S DEFENCE

ROAD TRANSPORT PLANS.

[ERITIGH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

RUGBY, January 17

Plans for the organisation of road transport in a national emergency were made public to-day when a communication was addressed by the Minister for Transport (Mr. E. L. Burgin) to the owners of commercial vehicles. The plans do not apply to vehicles engaged in paassenger services. The proposed organisation, which is intended for war-time, but requires to be brought into existence in a shadow form in peace-time, starts from the assumption that in a national emergency the rationing of petrol and fuel oil would be inevitable.

Mr. Burgin emphasises that the demands of the defence services for petrol and oil would be prodigious under war conditions. Road transport in Britain depends on imported fuel and, great as are the national resources for storage and the maintenance of supply, it would be essential to rationalise for economic use of fuel the operation of road transport with its 500,000 vehicles under 200,000 separate owners. The scheme now announced provides for a preliminary peace-time organisation of the industry into road transport groups, comprising from 25 to 100 vehicles each, and registered with the Ministry of Transport. In the meantime, steps are being taken to ensure a sufficient supply of trained drivers. . . i , Mr. Burgin, in a statement to-day, referred to the co-operation he had received in the September crisis from the operators of commercial road vehicles.

FOOD AND WATER SUPPLY

(Recd. Jan. 19. 8 a.m.). LONDON, January IS.

Sir Auckland Geddes, who is acting as Sir J. Anderson’s adviser, last night, said the Government was making all arrangements for feeding the population in wartime. He suggested that housewives might store a little extra food in long-keeping form in cupboards, in a manner that would not. disturb the markets, in preparation for times of crisis. It might also be a good idea to begin storing water in bottles in certain areas where the water supply might be damaged. The problem of national defence was to reinforce the people’s will to resist. It was revealed that in the event of a war, a Ministry of National Service would immediately be created. It already existed in skeleton form, and the Minister has been selected. Some believe it is Mr. MacDonald. ARMY RECRUITS.

RUGBY, January IS. Since April 1 last, 30,515 recruits have been accepted for the regular Army, exceeding by 1035, the returns for the whole of the year ending March 31.