RESERVES GONE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 234, 4 October 1943, Page 4

RESERVES GONE

AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM MEN TO LEAVE SERVICES Recd. 6 p.m. Sydney, Oct. 2. Australia has now reached the end of her man-power resources and the future requirements ot the Services and essential industry must be met by the rearrangement of existing programmes. With this object the War Cabinet, after live hours of discussion at which General Blarney was present, decided on the withdrawal of 20,000 men from the Services in the next 10 months for transfer to essential industry. In addition the munitions programme will be reduced to release another 20,000 men for food production and other urgent projects, and 30,000 women will be diverted to industries of the highest priority. Australia lias now a surfeit of certain munitions, and war plants which have been engaged in their manulacture for the last two or three years are preparing for a switch-over to other production. The most pressing need is for foodstuffs and the Minister of Munitions (Mr. N. Makin) has announced that a munition factory in northern New South Wales will soon be converted into a food dehyration plant. Factories in other parts ot Australia will be converted for a similar purpose later. "The munition factory in northern New South Wales is being changed over to dehydration because there are adequate accumulated stocks of the munition parts it has been making,” said Mr. Makin. “The change-over will probably result in the establishment of a permanent dehydration industry in the district. The export of dehydrated foods will be important for Australia after the war, and it is to Australia's advantage that the industry should be decentralised.” The present capacity of New South Wales dehydration plants will be increased next year from 1000 tons a month to about 3500 tons. New plants are being built at Cowra and Morpeth, and plants at Sydney, Batlow, and Leeton are being extended. , Already some factories which have completed their war programmes have reverted to peacetime production. These are mainly engaged in the manufacture of farm machinery, which is urgently required because of the reduction in rural man-power and the need for greatly-increased supplies of food. Civilian needs in other directions will be met by increased production, but many factories which could revert to former lines of manufacture are held up by lack of man-power. As they fulfil their wartime obligations their employees are drafted to other urgent work, and they cannot resume on anything like a normal scale. The Man-powei Department wants another 100,000 men for essential work, and although industries will be combed to supply as many as possible, the department is expected to tali short of its aim. One of the first tasks of the new Federal Cabinet will be to consider the man-power position, and it is believed that a decision will be made to with draw from 30.000 to 50,000 from the Army. Recent successes in New Guinea may make this possible.

Most of the men withdrawn from the Army, however, will be required for rural work. This is essential if Australia's production of meat, particularly beef, is not to be jeopardised. The programme demands the services of trained cattlemen, drovers, stockmen, and breeding and drafting experts, who enlisted in thousands.