BRITAIN’S RECOVERY

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 August 1940, Page 8

BRITAIN’S RECOVERY

MR. MORRISON’S REVIEW

PRODUCTION FOR OFFENSIVE

[BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

RUGBY, August 18.

“I can assure yqu that those responsible for equipping Britain's forces are not stopping at the thought of defence,” said Mr. Morrison, in a speech in London. “The ground plan of our future production activity is drawn on the assumption that our task will be. a world offensive, when the moment comes. Once the immediate peril of these next few days or weeks has passed, we shall all be able to look forward to a steadilymounting tally of armed might and striking power. “Three months ago the position was serious, indeed grave. Not only were we called upon with alarming suddenness to face the consequences of years of small-scale planning and small-scale thinking, but we had lost in Flanders a great part of the equipment we had built up. Britain fit that moment was in great peril. My mind is filled with thankfulness at the transformation that has taken place between that time and the present. I do not say that everything is perfect to-day. We started far behind scratch. We have not yet made up the arrears, and the position is not yet fully sat - isfactory, but we have put into the hands of our army weapons sufficient to enable it to perform its immediate task successfully, even if the call should come to-night. Some part of this has been accomplished through the help of our American friends, who drew freely upon their reserves of weapons and ammunition, so that we might be able to fill certain immediate dangerous gaps. But the great part was due to the outstanding achievement of British industry and British workers.” Mr. Morrison surveyed the raw materials position, showing the extent the Government was undertaking control, in order to ensure adequate supplies, proper apportionment, and fair prices. In the case of many metals and wool, the Ministry had bought the whole, or nearly the whole output of entire countries. Referring particularly to planned economy represented by raw material control, Mr. Morrison said: “We must not get into the way of thinking that all forms of war organisation aye temporary, or mere necessary evils. Many of them represent real advances. We all want to see a better Britain emerge from the fires of war. We want to see inequalities toned down or removed, unfair privileges abolished, the threat of avoidable hardship and insecurity taken away, and opportunities given to all for a fuller, freer, and’more-creative existence.”

“MOLOTOV COCKTAILS.”

LONDON, August 17.

The Home Guard is being armed with “Molotov cocktails” by the millions. These were used in the Finnish war and have been adopted by the War Office. They are considered to be more effective than handgrenades against armoured units. Their composition cannot be revealed.

TRIBUTE TO MORALE.

RUGBY, August 18

The Mayor of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was given a civic reception in Windsor, England, to-day. The Mayor of the Canadian borough is Private David Cross of the Essex Scottish Regiment, who came to England with Dominion forces.

Replying to the toast of his borough at a civic luncheon, the Mayor said he had been greatly impressed by the high morale of the British public. He had found out for himself how worthless and false was German propaganda.

SPONTANEOUS GIFTS.

RUGBY, August 17.

An interesting minor feature of the most recent phase of war, the Battle of Britain, is quite spontaneous. Individual gifts are being made daily by rich and poor towards construction of fighter aircraft for the R.A.F. Funds for the purchase of Spitfires have been started in almost every corner of the Empire. In Britain, every day, individual gifts are received. One of £20,000 was received to-day from one family. There also were received the proceeds of the auction of a pedigree calf from the north of Ireland. Factories and towns and private organisations are also voluntarily instituting special funds. Within a short time of the opening of such a fund at Southampton to-day, £3OO had been contributed by Southampton citizens. No official prompting has ever been made towards the institution of such funds, and none clearly is necessary.