"LEAD WORLD"

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24102, 22 October 1941, Page 8

"LEAD WORLD"

CRUISER-TANK MAKING

AUSTRALIAN OUTPUT

MINISTER'S DISCLOSURES

HUGE ARMS PRODUCTION By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright XRecd. 11.40 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Oct. 21 ''Australia will give a lead to the world in production of the cruiser type of tank before very long, declared the Minister of the Jsavy, Mr. Makfn, in the course of a statement to-day. He also referred to the enormous output of ammunition at various factories, chiefly in the eastern States. "In New South Wales alone £6.000.000 worth of orders for gun ammunition have been placed with private industry in the past, 12 months," said Mr. Makin. "These figures can be multiplied several times if similar orders placed in \ ictoria. South Australia and Queensland are taken into account. A new factory for the manufacture of cartridge cases has been erected at a cost of & £3.500.000 in South Australia. It will employ 700 men and 1000 women. Still another Government factory is being erected in Queensland for the same purpose, and it will employ 4000 persons. "In addition to the big Government factories engaged in shell production there are in Australia 74 annexes attached to privately-owned factories, ot which there are 22 in New South Wales.

"Literally hundreds oi' factories and workshops all over the Commonwealth have changed from the manufacture of peacetime products to the manufacture of death-dealing missiles. A factory which used to make racecourse totalisators is now making 25-pounder shells; another which made kitchen hardware is now making hand grenades; and another which turned out agricultural implements is making Howitzer shells. "The resulting production of tanks, guns and ammunition is reaching astronomical figures, quite apart from the ever-growing output of aircraft and flying equipment." FIGHTERS OF FUTURE r SPEED AND ALTITUDE LONDON, Oct. 11 The air expert, Mr. Oliver Stewart, States that people before long may expect to see fighters travelling from 450 to 500 miles an hour and operating at altitudes up. to 50,000 feet. Developments in fighter construction are following two main lines —the low-flying fighter with a big battery of heavy guns, and the machine with few guns with an exceptionally good performance at height. CHINA'S AIR FORCE

UNITED STATES' AID SINGAPORE, Oct. 17

One task of the United States military mission to China will be to explore the most practical method of assisting China to build up its air force rapidly, to well-informed circles here.

This will involve the establishment of an organised plan of training pilots stage by stage along the lines of the Empire "air scheme. The urgent necessity of speeding up training is likely to lead to a plan to train them outside China.

' It is believed that the Governments of Australia and India may be sounded regarding the possibility of their proriding facilities for training Chinese airmen, thus transport delays and other difficulties arising .from sending them to the United 6tates.