Production Mounting in Canada’s War Plants

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 25, 30 January 1943, Page 3

Production Mounting in Canada’s War Plants

OTTAWA, Jan. P. Canada’s war production is near its peak. The present year is expected to see the top reached with the expenditure of 3,700,000,000 dollars, compared with 2,600,000,000 last year. This more than doubled the 1941 production. Figures quoted do not include the cost of metals, foodstuffs, and other products exported to the United States, the United Kingdom and other Empire countries, which in 1943 will have a total value of more than 85,000,000 dollars. During the present fiscal year Canada plans to launch about a million tons of merchant shipping, in addition to 200 or 300 naval craft. Outstanding contracts include nearly 300 10,000-ton cargo ships, to be built at a cost of approximately 600,000,000 dollars. In a coast to coast chain of plants, Canada is making nine types of aircraft. The aircraft industry, of which the pre-war production was 40 planes annually, is now turning out 400 monthly. It is producing five times the number of planes made two years ago. Since Dunkirk, it has built 6500 planes, and has supplied 5000 vital training craft to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The production of mechanical transport in 3942 had an estimated value of 401,000,000 dollars. In addition, tanks and armoured vehicles were turned out in 1942 to an estimated value of 201,000,000 dollars, of which one-fourth were despatched to Russia for the Soviet winter offensive. The production of guns, small arms, shells, bombs and small arms ammunition had an aggregate value in 1942 of approximately 600,000,000 dollars, and gave employment to more than 900,000 persons engaged directly or indirectly in war industry.