OVER THREE-QUARTER MILLION

Grey River Argus, 25 March 1943, Page 2

OVER THREE-QUARTER MILLION

Million and Half Male War Workers CANBERRA, March 24. More than 750,000 Australian men have been sworn mto the' Army, the Wavy and the Air Force. In aaait.on 'mere are 90,000 men in the volunteer Defence Corps. These ngures represent more 'than one in nine of f.iie whole population or more than one -in four of the male population between 14 and 65 years. Of the /00.000 rnqro than 380,000 have volunteered to light anywhere in the world.

Of the 2,350,000 males in Australia between 14 and 65 years, 1,400,000 are in full-time war work, including men in the forces. In addit.on there are 321,000 men and women in the voluntary civil defence services. Of Australia’s 5,000,000 population oet'vVeeh 14 and '65 years, 3.400,000 ar? lighting or producing war supplies or doing other" war jobs. Among the remaining 1,600.000 there are many’ part-time and voluntary war workers. Government and semi-Govern-ment munition factories, aircraft plants- and shipyards employ 518,000 workers. When war. broke out there were 13.500 in these industries. Of the 712,000 factory workers in Australia 72 per cent, are making munitions and war supplies. There are 125,000 women doingdirect war jobs as compared with 1100 in September, 1939. Australia now has 48 munition factories and there were four munition works m the country and in December, 1941 eight. In the next few months 200,000 more men and women will enter the services and munitions factories or will be engaged on war construction work.