AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 November 1943, Page 6

AUSTRALIA

ORDNANCE BASE.

MELBOURNE, November 24. The existence of Australia’s greatest ordnance depot near Albury, at the junction of the New South Wales and Victoria State railways has been officially revealed. The depot, which’ covers more than 2000 acres of former bush land, has been built in the last two years, and cost millions of pounds. Storehouses are packed with tens of millions of pounds worth of material, representing the bulk of the United States Lend-Lease ordnance supplies.- The depot also has a huge motor transport park. The inlhnd site for the depot was selected at a time when an attack on Australia by Japan was feared imminent. Nearly 20 miles of spur lines have been built to accommodate trains from New South Wales and Victoria. ARMY AND LABOUR. CANBERRA, November 24. Delay by the Australian Army in releasing men for the Federal Government’s manpower requirement has ibeen strongly criticised at a meeting of the full Cabinet. Three Ministers, Mr. Forde (Army), Mr. Holloway (Labour), and Mr. Makin (Munitions), have been appointed to investigate the delay. The Minister of Commerce (Mr. Scully) is believed to have warned Cabinet that the whole of the Government’s primary production scheme was being jeopardised by the delay. Government officials state that unless a big proportion of the 15,000 soldiers required for rural industry are made available within the next fortnight, many cr.ops will be lost. Wheat and potato crops, it is stated, are nearly ready for harvesting, while blowflies are becoming a serious menace to sheep in many districts. . Although the Government decided on October 1 to have 20,000 men released from the Army at the rate of 2000 monthly, only a handful of men are believed to have been made available so far. Some political commentators place the number as low as 200. In New South Wales alone more than 3000 applications for agricultural manpower assistance have beeff approved, but few have been granted. . Army Headquarters has denied to Mr. Forde that "moral suasion” is being used to prevent men leaving the Services. Mr. Forde said he was satisfied the Army authorities were doing all they could to hasten the discharges recommended by the manpower authorities.