WHILE ROME BURNS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24737, 14 October 1941, Page 7

WHILE ROME BURNS

POSITION IN AUSTRALIA NATIONAL EXTRAVAGANCE PERTINENT QUESTIONS (Rec. 0.15 a.m.) SYDNEY, Oct/13. A slashing attack on what he described as national extravagance was made by Group Captain D, E. Wilson, R.A.A.F., in a speech to-day in connection with a Commonwealth war loan "Did you women who attended last week's Randwick races with your splendid two-guinea orchid, your 20-guinea model frock, and your ravishing little five-guinea hat stop to think that some of the money you spent on making yourselves look beautiful might eventually have provided surgical dressing to save the life of a badly wounded friend of yours in the A.1.F.? Has it occurred to you members of the racing public who are finding it so necessary to journey to Melbourne for the cup meeting and are filling inter-State trains to capacity that the money you are spending on pleasure, which is quite unnecessary in these days of .national peril, might have produced a protective fighter and saved the lives of a bomber crew. Do you members of trade unions whose pay envelopes are made heavy because of this war set aside those amounts which otherwise you would spend on things you really don't want so that you can contribute to the national war effort? A few of you may—the majority do not. Are you employers of labour who are finding this war such a profitable investment using this easy money so that when peace comes you can live on easy street? Your duty is clear. Give all you can voluntarily, so that the nightmare of conscripted earnings may never come our way."

Sir Keith Smith, said it was reckoned that each daylight sweep >y the Fighter Command of Britain cost £40.000. and the daily losses of bombers £225,000. It might be an understatement to estimate the Empire air losses from all ca.uses at £4,000,000 a week.