THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1941 PRODUCTION OF MUNITIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23863, 14 January 1941, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1941 PRODUCTION OF MUNITIONS

Since the outbreak of war New Zealand has made an impressive contribution to the Empire's cause on the service side and in the production of foodstuffs and raw materials necessary for the sustenance of Britain's civilian population and for the continued functioning of her vital war industries. On the actual industrial front, however, the Dominion has not yet exerted national energies comparable with those which have been organised in other parts of the British Commonwealth. it is true that our factories have shown commendable activity in clothing and equipping the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, but this is largely a domestic matter and does not involve an acceptance jof Empire responsibilities in the widest sense. There is reason, therefore, to welcome the visit to the Dominion of British experts who are to advise the Government on the production of munitions. Two of these experts have already arrived, while two more will land from Ausj tralia in the course of the next few j days. Their object will be to discuss with the Government the decisions reached at the recent Eastern Supply Group Conference at Delhi and to advise on the best methods to be adopted in the supply of vital war materials, particularly to the Imperial armies in the Middle East. These armies during the last few weeks have struck telling blows at the enemy in the Mediterranean area and the extent to which they can be supplied from Empire countries east of Suez will exert a profound influence on Britain's ability to strengthen her own defence and to prepare for offensive action on other fronts. The detailed conclusions of the Delhi conference, which was attended by delegations from India, Burma, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Rhodesias and many Crown colonies, have naturally not been made public. Nevertheless, it is known that plans were approved for speeding up industrial production for war purposes in all these countries. It is of interest, therefore, to consider what has been achieved to date. In India, apart from the organisation of an army of 500,000 men, of whom 60,000 are already serving overseas, the manufacture has been undertaken of rifles, machine guns, small arms ammunition, artillery of calibres up to 6in., armoured plating for tanks and large machine tools. Australia, for some months now, has been producing practically all the ammunition and armaments required for her own forces. Machine-guns, antiaircraft guns, anti-tank guns, armoured cars and even highly efficient military aeroplanes are in course of manufacture, while an ambitious programme of tank output has been initiated. Factories in South Africa are turning out explosives, shells, bombs, rifle ammunition, trench mortars and military vehicles of all descriptions, including armoured cars. New Zealand may not possess the industrial equipment of these other Empire countries, but, even allowing for that, her production of the actual munitions of war, as distinct from raw materials, has not reflected her true capabilities. Munitions work in the Dominion has not been entirely overlooked. In Auckland the manufacture of small arms ammunition is proceeding at a highly satisfactory rate which will be considerably increased when additional factory space is available. Similarly in Wellington an assembly plant is operating vigorously in turning out light training machines for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In various parts of the Dominion engineering firms are actively engaged in the manufacture of grenades. But, in spite of these efforts, no real attempt has been made to put the country's industries on a war footing. One reason for this is the shortage of skilled workmen. After 10 months of war, it is a sorry commentary on official planning that only 55 men are undergoing specialised training in Wellington, while instructional schemes in Auckland and the other centres are still incomplete. Greater energy is certainly needed in this direction. At the same time, it does not seem altogether desirable that a civil servant who is required to superintend the Government railway workshops, even though they may be partly engaged on munitions production, should also be shouldered with the responsibilities of organising and directing a munitions division of the Dominion's Ministry of Supply. The visiting British experts will doubtless be able to indicate many points in which the industrial capacity of the Dominion can be harnessed to the war needs of the Empire.