GEARING INDUSTRY TO WAR EFFORT

Southland Times, Issue 24675, 21 February 1942, Page 5

GEARING INDUSTRY TO WAR EFFORT

FURTHER RESTRICTIONS IN AUSTRALIA (Rec. 5.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, Feb. 20. Further prohibitions on the manufacture of commodities and extensive restrictions on the use of materials were announced by Mr J. J. Dedman, Minister for the War Organization of Industry. This time the restrictions apply to the whole of Australia. The manufacture of domestic washing machines and vacuum cleaners is prohibited, and the manufacture of refrigerators is restricted to the bare minimum of essential needs for the Armed Forces and hospitals. The use of iron, steel, copper and a number of industrial chemicals will be prohibited or drastically restricted. It will be illegal to use materials for many luxury and non-essential goods. The Federal Parliament began a secret session this afternoon to discuss

the war situation. The Prime Minister, Mr J. Curtin, reappeared, recovered from his recent illness. He received an ovation. DRASTIC POWER Tire Government, today, issued new regulations taking power, merely by a curt verbal order, to instruct any Australian to perform a specific duty. The Government believes a situation may arise wherein the time may be too short for its commands to be given in any other way. A message published yesterday stated that factories in Victoria and South Australia are being closed shortly as the first step in the Federal Government’s policy of eliminating non-essen-tial industries and diverting their employees to war work.