Demobilising Australian Fighting Services

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 191, 14 August 1945, Page 5

Demobilising Australian Fighting Services

CONTROLS WHICH CANNOT BE ABOLISHED.

Received Monday, 7.15 p.m. CANBERRA, August 13. The Commonwealth Government pias planned to demobilise all Australian fighting services as rapidly a* possible, but the discharges will spread over many months and some men may not be released for two years. It is expected that Australia will have to maintain at least one complete division so that she can be represented in the occupation forces in Japan, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies and can keep garrison troops in New Guinea, Borneo, the Solomons and other northern islands. If possible more than 120,000 men will be released before December. It is likely that the R.A.A.F. will be the first service to be completely demobilised and that the Navy will be the last. Australians cannot expect the abolition of the following three controls immediately the war with Japan ends: Firstly: Identity cards and food rationing (Australia has enormous commitments for the feeding of Britain and the liberated European and Indonesian countries). Secondly: Petrol and rubber rationing. (The petrol position will improve immediately, but it is feared that it will be at least a year before rubber supplies become satisfactory.) Thirdly: Clothes rationing. (The world is very short of cotton goods and raw cotton and it will be at least a year before the textile mills in Britain, France, Belgium, Canada America and Australia get back to peak production.)