AUSTRALIA'S PART

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20487, 22 February 1941, Page 5

AUSTRALIA'S PART

EMPIRE BATTLE NOT COUNTING COST PREMIER IN LONDON DANGERS IN PACIFIC DEFENCES PREPARED (Elnc. Till. Copyright—Unitfid Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 11.20 a.m. RUGBY, Feb. 21. Australia’s immense contribution to the Empire war effort receives additional emphasis from the visit of the Commonwealth Prime Minister, Mr. R. G. Menzies, to London, arriving at a moment when the Southern Seas may become a new theatre of Axis aggression. It is confidently believed that the consultations in which he will be engaged in London will be of great value. Mr. Menzies reached London, via Palestine and Egypt, where he has been able to visit the Australian Imperial Force both in training camps and in forward positions in the Western Desert, and to discuss the military situation in all aspects in conversations with the Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Archibald Wavell, General Creagh, Major-General O'Connor, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore. Stimulating Speech

Mr. Menzies confessed to a press conference this morning that he had not yet fully recovered from his exhaustion, but he showed no signs of fatigue in a vigorous and stimulating speech in which he described Australia’s enthusiasm for the war tasks.

“Already the fine efforts of the Australian forces will be trifles compared with what we hope to achieve before this job is finished,” he declared. “When the Australians fight they do so because they are great-grandsons of men who are your great-grandfathers. The people of Britain must not be tempted to feel they are alone in the fight. They are not alone. A very large proportion of the world, including my own country, is with them, not out of some feeling of benevolence, but because we are an integral'portion of the British community.” Men and Materials Striking evidence of what Australia is doing in providing men and material in the various arms and the stupendous cost at which this is being accomplished was given by Mr. Menzies. “The Commonwealth income tax has been trebled, but Australians are not counting the cost,” he said. “If we come out of this shooting match broke, well it is better to be broke than conquered. ‘‘What had seemed to be an ambitious scheme for establishing the pre-war pilot strength of 400 for the Royal- Australian Air Force has been left far behind. Under the Empire training scheme now operating, Australia will produce by the same stage next- year 26,000 pilots, gunners and observers.”

There were some problems associated with the scheme, but no problems in recruiting the type of men needed. -Australia’s total munitions expenditure before the war was between £3,000,000 and £4,000,000 out of- a total defence appropriation of £14,000,000. The Munitions Department, which had called in the help of outstanding men in each department in industry was now working on a total defence programme of £120,000,000 which it hoped to encompass within two years. This year’s total Australian Budget for defence was £186,000,000. Building Naval Ships As to the sea effort, Australia was now building naval ships from the tribal class of destroyer downwards, and the present programme consisted of no fewer than 51 ships which they anticipated would be completed in four months. As regards land forces, Mr. Menzies drew attention to a problem which Australia was not called upon to face in the last war when Japan was an ally, whereas now she was in line with the Axis. Australia was pursuing no policy of aggression in contributing to the defence of Singapore, but a prudent policy of preparing to defend herself in an ocean in which there were elements of danger. Australia hoped, as she believed, that peace in the Pacific would be kept, but it must not be thought that, remote as she was, Australia was unwilling or incapable of defending herself. Mr. Menzies said that in Libya he found it difficult to reconcile the expenditure of so much Italian time and money with so great a reluctance on their part to defend it. Their 12 divisions were simply rolled back before an astonishingly small striking force.