WAR INDUSTRIES FOR AUSTRALIA FROM BRITAIN

Grey River Argus, 19 February 1949, Page 5

WAR INDUSTRIES FOR AUSTRALIA FROM BRITAIN

Snowy River Power Scheme to be Speeded (Rec. 10.30) CANBERRA, Feb. 18 The Australian Government has been asked by the British Government to have its huge Snowy River hydro-electric project in operation within twelve years. This was learned authoritatively. The main purpose of this is to enable the transfer of duplicate British industries with a war potential to Australia as soon as the power is available to run them. The request was made to the Cabinet by the Chief Scientific Adviser to the British Government, SirHenry Tizzard, when he visited Australia recently, for discussions on the development of atomic and long-range weapons, and of plans for the protection of the Australian civil population from atomic bomb attacks. The entire Snowy River project will take twenty-tive years to complete. The transfer of British war industries to Australia has started already, but it will not proceed at top speed for at least a decade. The first of these industries to come here is the aircraft industry, which plans to produce jet planes, heavy bombers, and transport aircraft Industries capable of producing rockets, explosives, other armaments and ultimately atomic bombs, will also come to Australia-. The Minister of Defence, Hon. Mr Dedman, made it clear this week, however, that Britain would retain the basic war industry organisation in the interests of its own selfdefence.