AUSTRALIAN FORCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 285, 2 November 1939, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN FORCE

FOR OVERSEAS SERVICE. GREAT DEFENCE EFFORT. TO COST £60,000,000. Received November 2, 9.15 a.m. SYDNEY, Nov. 2. The Prime Minister (Mr R. G. Menzies), in a statement on Australian defence matters, announced last night that the Second Australian Expeditionary Force would definitely be sent overseas unless circumstances rendered that course impracticable. It would become the spearhead of the Australian defence organisation.

The Government intended to build three Tribal class destroyers instead of two as previously announced and four local defence vessels for antisubmarine or mine6weepiiig work, added Mr Menzies. Defensive guns had been mounted on more than sixty oversea merchant ships. These would be competent to deal with enemy raiders likely to menace sea-borne commerce.

The War Cabinet had approved the purchase of 4000 mechanised vehicles, the cost of which would l>e £1,500,000. They would include armoured ears. Four additional munition and armament factories were to be erected and 19 air squadrons would be trained by 1940. There would lie great acceleration of aircraft construction and, subject to the lifting of the arms' embargo 100 Lockheed Hudson ’planes would be purchased from the United States.

The estimated expenditure on defence this year, he said, would reach the staggering total of £59,500,000. Only £7,700.000, or 13 per cent.., would be spent abroad, stated Mr Menzies. He directed attention to the fact that Australia’s expenditure on defence in the first, year of the last war w'as only £19,600.000. He emphasised that the estimated expenditure lor this year was not final as it was not yet possible to forecast the cost of Australia’s participation in the Empire air training scheme. The acting-Minister of Supply (Sir Frederick St-wart) announced (lefifinitely that there would he no rationing of petrol supplies this year.