Mr. Pirow said that most of the necessary arms and equipment would be purchased through the British War Office. South African armament factories would produce what they could.
Aircraft would not be included in these purchases. The Union was buying obsolescent machines from Britain for training purposes on condition that first-line "planes would be supplied if war broke out.
It was hoped, he said, to be able to mobilize at least 137000 troops and. 1,000. pilots for normal defence purposes, Conscription, he thought, would bring a further, 150,000 men under arms.
Natives would not be armed, Mr.
Pirow continued, but they could be formed into labour battalions and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.