WAR MATERIALS

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21525, 13 September 1941, Page 7

WAR MATERIALS

ARMS, PLANES AND SHIPS HELP FROM AMERICA ASSISTANCE TO BRITAIN (OUlclal Wireless) (Received Sept. 13, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 12 Details of the enormous increase m the production of American war material are given by Mr John Biggers, an American expert on war and production. “When Hitler chose to wage mechanical war,” he said, “he selected a type of war for which the United States is best suited. If we are anything we are a mass production industrial nation.” Mr Biggers quoted the following figures to show the progress of industrial expansion in the United States to supply Britain’s war-time aid. The production of military aircraft was 50 in June, 1940; 1455 in July, 1941; 1854 in August, 1941; and in December this year it will be “well above the 2000 line.” The production of merchant shipping will be more than doubled by the end of December this year. In aluminium production there has been substantial progress but there can be no further great advance until after the turn of the year, when the new plants come into production. The production of magnesium has been more than doubled in the past year, and another important increase has been forecast for December. Referring to munitions, Mr Biggers said the production of machine-guns has gone forward at a very substantial rate of increase, and although it is now very high it will be almost doubled between now and December because an entirely new group of factories have been converted from peace-time to war-time production, and they will be in practically full capacity by December. Production Doubled As for small arms ammunition the production is almost double, what it was a year ago. New battery plants are coming into operation and it is expected production will be doubled between August and December this year. The production of 20 and 37 millimetre guns—used in some of the British fighters—will be more than doubled by December. The production of military rifles is double that of a year ago.

The production of tanks has reached a fairly substantial level, running into a good many hundreds monthly. Even so the production of 13-ton and 28-ton tanks will be doubled between now and December. Dealing with warships, Mr Biggers said: “Naval construction got into its full stride at an earlier stage, so that the rate of increase cannot be expected to be as striking as some- other branches of war production. The British placed with us last November an order for 60 cargo ships of 10,000 tons. We did not get any of these ships at all until about a month ago, when the first was launched. One ship every two weeks is coming off the runways now and by the end of this year production will be one every two days. By the middle of 1942 the schedule calls for a ship daily. “I think the combined efforts of Britain and the United States, properly synchronised, will out-pro-duce the Axis Powers by the middle of 1943, but every possible effort should be put forth by all of us to shorten that period, because obviously time is so precious.”

FUEL CONSUMPTION EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 11 The Secretary of Mines, Mr D. R. Grenfell, has announced the setting up of a committee to advise on many technical aspects of efficiency and economy in industrial fuel consumption. The committee will work in conjunction with a staff of combustion engineers placed at the disposal of the Mines Department by the Coal Utilisation Joint Council. ESCAPE FROM DAKAR STEAMER WITHOUT CREW (United Press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 12 After 14 months of internment at Dakar, the important port in French West Africa, a handful of Allied mariners sailed out of the stronglyguarded harbour in a new 9000-ton steamer without a crew. The British United Press says that the French naval authorities removed the high-pressure lines from the steamer’s engines, but for eight months an Allied engineer secretly moulded dummy lines. The conspirators assured the French that the steamer’s engines would be ruined unless they were started up. When the French replaced the proper pipes the mariners lulled them with entertainment and subsequently handed over the dummy pipes. The Allied seamen later started up the engines and made straight for the net guarding the harbour entrance, just scraping over without fouling the propellers. A French patrol ship next day fired on the fleeing steamer, which escaped, and met a British destroyer the following morning.

SEAWARD DEFENCE SOUTH AFRICA'S GOOD WORK (United Press asmi. —Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 11 Recent awards of D.S.C.’s and D.S.M.’s to officers and men serving in His Majesty’s South African ships are evidence of South Africa’s seaward defence. South Africa, although responsible for the land defence of Britain's African naval station at Simonstown, has no navy of her own, but at the outbreak of war a seaward defence force, under the late Rear-Admiral G. W. Hallifax, was organised to guard South Africa's ports and territorial waters. The ships are trawlers, whalers and other small vessels, which have been equipped and refuted in South African workshops for minesweeping, coastal patrol and anti-submarine work. The ships of the force are operating with the Royal Navy. Each ship's complement is small—roughly 20 officers and men.