LAYING DOWN A BARRAGE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23012, 2 October 1944, Page 4

LAYING DOWN A BARRAGE

Cost In Actual Cash Why Money Must Be Had

For War

“We must give our men equipment equal to the best; superiority in equipment saves lives. The New Zealand casualties in this war are only half of what they were in the last war over the same period. We all have an interest in the men overseas, but surely not one measured in money,” said the Minister of Rehabilitation (the Hon. C. F. Skinner) in a broadcast last evening when he appealed for support of the Victory Loan and spoke of its affinity to rehabilitation.

When he had been asked to speak, Mr Skinner said, he did not anticipate that there would be millions of pounds to be subscribed with the closing day so near at hand. When the last loan of £35,000,000 had been oversubscribed it had had a great effect on the men overseas. The news proved to them that the economic structure of the country was being preserved, and that the people were 100 per cent behind them in doing so wholeheartedly what they had been asked to do. It would be small comfort to them to hear of the fag in the present loan. It was an unpleasant thought that there were people who had to be reminded of their obligations. During his service in the Second N.Z.E.F. he had been inspired with the promptness with which the men did any task given to them; they did not hesitate. That was because they knew they had a tradition to maintain, a tradition built by the Anzacs. They were carrying on tnat splendid heritage. There was little doubt that the Dominion's industrial war effort, the providing of cofffiorts and the oversuoscribing of loans, had contributed largely to the victories won in battle. A Dangerous Thought In looking for a reason lor the indifference of sopie people to the need of subscribing to the Victory Loan, tne Minister said that it might be because of the belief that the war was virtually over. That was a dangerous thought. It was plainly seen from the war news that there was heavy fighting ahead. He emphasised the necessity for intelligent reading of newspapers and attentive listening to broadcasts. It was easy to see how the money was spent. At El Alamein on October 23, 1942, the advance of the Allied forces had been paved by a barrage. There had been 315 25-pounders which had each fired 1000 rounds in 24 hours, a total of 815,000 shells. At £3/7/- a shell transported to Alexandria the cost was about £3,500,000 in New Zealand currency. To deliver the shells to the battle zone had cost 50,000 gallons of petrol. The life of a truck there was 6000 miles. There had been many barrages since in Sicily and Italy, said the Minister. Rehabilitation was a problem bound up with the attitude of the people at home to the men overseas. When they returned they were entitled to extra consideration out of gratitude for their splendid service. They were not to be treated as ordinary business rivals as some were doing, but had to be given the opportunity to establish themselves in a worthwhile career and live their lives in peace as God intended them to do.

The Minister concluded by asking everyone to subscribe liberally to the loan and so niaki the results of the last three days an atonement for the apathetic treatment which had so far been given.