SMALL ARMS FACTORY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11655, 10 June 1912, Page 4

SMALL ARMS FACTORY.

AUSTRALIA'S PREPAREDNESS. [Br Electric Telegraph—Copyright.] (Per Press Association.) ' ' Sydney, June 8. , Lord Denmau opened- the small arms factory at Lithgow, commending" the preparedness. of the defence of Austra-r Hay./with a wide territory and-sparse population. Australia has powerful neighbors with enormous populations, who would only be too glad.to get a. hold- of Australia, if by war they can do so. Mr Pea re©. said Australia must havei a defence force, not. a. sham. It will prove, costly, but he believed the peoplo were prepared to pay the cost. On the previous day the first cordite was turned out in Australia, and they could hire a plant to make gims and iise the cordite. - . Feceivcd Juno 10, at.10.5 .a.m. . Sydney, June 10. Tho Lithgow Factory has guaranteed t,o: produce-fifty rifles daily of the pre-; sent War Office pattern with interchangeability of parts. Received' June 10, at 9110 a.m. Sydney, June 10. A representative of' the" machinery contractors stated at the Lithgow ceremony that one rifle could bo turned out in 23 one-man.working.hours against 48 hours at Binninghahi and 72 at Enfield.