MINISTER TO VISIT AUSTRALIA

Southland Times, Issue 24154, 17 June 1940, Page 4

MINISTER TO VISIT AUSTRALIA

INQUIRY INTO MUNITION MANUFACTURE (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, June 16. A visit to Australia will be paid shortly by the Minister of Supply (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) to examine the possibility of the production in New Zealand of a type of munitions not previously manufactured here. This announcement was made tonight by the Prime Minister (the Hon. P. Fraser), who said that Mr Sullivan would investigate the possibility of co-ordina-tion with Australia in any way that might be helpful. The Prime Minister added that Mr Sullivan-and his department had been giving attention to that aspect on the nation’s war effort recently in conjunction with the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones), and army officers. A schedule of Army and Air Force needs had been provided and an expanded programme of production worked out on a tentative basis pending the consultations in Australia. “While in Australia Mr Sullivan will also seek to make arrangements concerning other supply questions with a view to promoting reciprocal benefits to the two countries,” the Prime Minister said. “He will also deal with a number of matters affecting finance and marketing at the request of the Hon. W. Nash, whose contemplated visit to Australia had to be abandoned because of other urgent ministerial business.”