ATTACK ON SPENDING

Southland Times, Issue 24565, 14 October 1941, Page 5

ATTACK ON SPENDING

AUSTRALIAN AIR OFFICER NEED FOR SAVING (Rec. 11.35 p.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 today at the Commonwealth War Loan rally. “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 a surgical dressing to save the life of a badly wounded friend of yours in the Australian Imperial Force?” he asked. “Has it occurred to you members of the racing publice who are finding it so necessary to journey to Melbourne for the cup meeting and filling the jnter-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. HIGHER WAGES AND PROFITS “Do you members of trades unions whose pay envelopes have been made heavy because of this war set aside those amounts which otherwise you would spend on the 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 by the Fighter Command in England cost £40,000 and daily losses of bombers cost £225,000. It might be an understatement to estimate the Empire air losses from all causes at £4,000,000 a week.