San Francisco, June 6.
Australia is being whipped into shape to become the great British arsenal for food and munitions in the South-west Pacific, according to survey by the Institute of Pacific Relations, The imperial plans are being worked out and executed through joint ce-operation of the British and Australian governments. It is now proposed to turn Australia from a lability into an asset, Instead of Australia being entirely dependent upon Great Britain, the plans now being worked out tend to make Britain instead, in any great international crisis in the Far East, dependent upon Australia, according to the survey.
"Australia's part in the plan of provisioning the empire in time of war," the survey states, "involves the extension of storages in country districts where reserves will be reasonably safe from attack, the examination of domestic requirements in relation to the needs of other empire countries, and a special study of the problem of distribution in the event
trade."
wartime dislocation of the export To Be Self-sufficient One aspect of turning Australia into a food and munitions arsenal for Great Britain in the South-west Pacific, according to the survey, is the formidable defence programme, and the creation of a munitions and armaments industry that will make Australia self-sufficient, "Essential industries already established are being strengthened," the survey states, "New industries such as automobile, aircraft, munitions and guns are being developed.
"Apart from. the expansion of local armaments and the armed forces, the new defence programme launched in May, 1938, and greatly expanded since the Munich agreement, provides for strengthening and extension of the Australian industrial structure as an additional measure of self-protection.
"In the execution of these defence plans, Australia is receiving the whole-hearted ce-operation of Britain, including. extensive technical advice, particularly in the development of armaments and aircrafts industries.
"As a consequence, while the outside world thinks of Australia as essentially an agricultural country, producing mainly wheat and wool for export, secondary industry, under tariff protection, has risen to a position of very great importance in Australia's internal economy," the survey concludes.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.