CANADA'S WAR EFFORT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24945, 18 June 1942, Page 3

CANADA'S WAR EFFORT

THE CONSCRIPTION ISSUE CRITICISM DEPRECATED (Rec. 10.45 p.m.) OTTAWA, June 16. The Minister of Defence, Colonel J. L. Ralston, in a speech, said Canada's war expenditure was now three times the total expended during the whole of the last war, and in the demobilisation period. "Canada has 140,000 troops in Britain," he said. "They have been a factor in preventing invasion. Now they are calling for action, and their time will come." The total Canadian casualties in the three services was 5600, . compared with 95,000 at this time in the last war. More than 450,000 young men had volunteered. In a debate, in the House of Commons, the Minister of Munitions, Mr C. D. Howe, deplored the unfavourable publicity Canada has received abroad, notably in the United States, regarding conscription for service overseas. "I have," he said "never seen unfair criticism of Australia's war effort. Australia has made a splendid effort on the voluntary system." He added that he had never met the Australian who was not prepared to praise his country's war effort. He stated that the attitude of Australians themselves and their press was responsible for the good Australian publicity. Mr Howe supported the Government's demand for power to send men conscripted abroad, but expressed the opinion that it would be unwise at present to draw men from war production unless the war situation deteriorated. He declared that Canada's manpower reserves were rapidly lessening, with over 500,000 men in the armed forces, 800,000 men and-women making munitions, 300,000 working in essential utilities and mining, and 1,350,000 in agriculture.