CANADA'S VAST EFFORT
0 NE year ago, on September loth, Canada entered the war. Looking back over the twelve months there can be no question that the Dominion has made a splendid beginning. But it is only a beginning. Our contribution to the common cause will increase steadily during the coming year, and, one would judge, attain a maximum power in the third year of hostilities. So long does it take a peace-loving democracy to organise itself for war.
Canada began from nothing at all. Defence expenditures averaged $12,000,000 in pre-war years. Our army comprised 4.500 officers and men; our navy 1,700 officers and ratings; our air-force 4,000 officers and men—equipped with obsolete planes. Today there are 155,000 men in the Canadian Active Service Force. Two divisions plus auxiliary troops are in England, and roo,000 are in training at home, available for service wherever they may be required. In addition, there are 6o,000 men in the militia, undergoing training, and another 300,000 men will be called for training, in groups of 30,000 each, in the next ten months. There has been, as well, a swift expansion of the navy. The personnel now numbers 10,000. There were 15 ships in the Canadian navy last September. Now there are 113, and the next year will add another roo to the strength. Canadian destroyers are serving with the Royal Navy defending the British Isles.
But the most spectacular expansion, in terms of actual striking-power, is in the air-force and the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The original 4,000 has grown to 25,000, and the number is increasing every day. The one difficulty seems to be that all Canadian lads desire to be pilots. They have to be persuaded that navigation, gunnery and other air-force jobs are equally important. The vast air-training plan is taking form with amazing speed. Seventy-five schools are either now complete and in operation or in an advanced state of construc- tion. The air-training plan, beyond all doubt, will fulfil the highest hopes based upon it. Before many weeks have passed airmen trained under the plan will begin to flow into the R.A.F., and each month thereafter the reinforcements will be larger.
On the economic side, the Dominion is likewise making a great contribution to victory. Plants already are producing eleven types of planes, five fighters and six trainers. Tank production is well advanced. Plants are now being completed to make Lee-Enfield rifles, Browning aircraft machine-guns, sub-machine-guns, two-pdr. anti-aircraft guns and carriages, Bofors A.A. guns, 3.7 A.A. guns, anti-tank rifles and aircraft cannon; 14 plants are now producing shells and filling them; production of ammunition is growing by leaps and bounds. Bren guns are already in production, and the output is being doubled; 25-pounders are also in production. Indeed, all the older types of guns from 9.2 howitzers down, are being made in volume. But the rate of expansion may be gauged by the announcement a few days ago that too large plants, involving a capital outlay of $165,000.0oo, arc now under construction.
In terms of cost, the war appropriations for the current fiscal year (ending March 31st, 1941) total $9440,o0o,000. This does not include the productions of munitions and supplies for Great Britain. From September 3rd to March 31st, 1939-40, the expenditure for war was $115,000,000. When it is recalled that Canada's outlay during the 1914-1918 War was just over $1,000,000,000, it will be appreciated that our contribution in the present war is on a very much greater scale. The first year of the war brought many changes. It has been, indeed, an exacting test of the capacity of a democratic State to adjust itself to swiftly changing conditions in a time of great peril. Many mistakes were made and, no doubt, in the result the mobilisation of our resources for war has been delayed. To begin with, the Canadian Government, in keep- ing with advice from the British Government, made no efiort to produce many essentials of war. Canada was to buy this equipment from Britain and thus help Britain pay for the foodstuffs and materials which she must obtain from this country. The air-training plan, likewise, was based upon the supply by Britain of equipment required for the later stages of training. The swift development of the war, however, destroyed these arrangements. Britain was unable, owing to the urgent needs of home defence, to spare equipment and supplies for Canada. More than that, sources of supply in the United States upon which Canada had relied had to be turned over to Britain.
It may be said that the series of Nazi successes ending in the collapse of France, pretty well demolished the carefully prepared war plans of Canada. "What about materials— munitions and supplies which this war demands as vital necessities? " asked Hon. J. L. Ralston, Minister of Defence in a speech delivered at Montreal on September 4th, 1940. " Then " (meaning before the German offensive began) "for our own needs, while we relied on Canadian industry for many things, we had as sources of supply the United King- dom and the United States. The United Kingdom wanted to sell us all they could. The United States saved us high unit costs which production in Canada for limited needs would have entailed. With the break-through on May loth, Canada was suddenly put very much on her own. These outside sources of tupply which we had depended on were suddenly cut off or restricted on account of their own needs. The facilities of Canadian industry which had been only partially utilised became instantly Of vital importance."
Indeed, Canada is now expanding war-plant far beyond any conceivable demand for the Canadian fighting services. For example, production of planes—not including engines—will reach 3,000 per year by next January. Britain will draw weapons, motor-transport and other supplies, not contemplated three months ago, from Canada.
A war-effort of these dimensions, of course, would be impossible without the strong and unwavering support of public opinion. The country is united in prosecuting the war to the limit of the nation's resources in men, money and materials. Severe increases in taxation have been accepted gladly. It has become a kind of boast for men to say that today everybody is working for the Government. The scale of taxation, it is true, is still lower than in the United Kingdom. particularly in the low-income groups, but I was talking to a man, not long ago, whose income this year will be $1,000,000. He remarked that all he would have left after paying taxes would be $11,000. And he was proud of it. Broadly. Canada's national income this year will be approximately $4,5oo,000,000. The war will take a little less than 25 per cent. of every dollar earned.
But while the record of the first year is most encouraging. there are numerous problems now facing the Government which will regal= firm handling. Under the voluntarY svstem 1 enlistment, no precautions were taken to keep skilled workmen at home. In consequence, a shortage in many trades will b: inevitable, unless immediate steps are taken to train large numbers of men or, alternately, the specialised workers in the Army are returned to the factories. There is an apparent Jack of co-ordination in the war-effort due, no doubt, to the fact that the War Cabinet system of control has not been adopted. But however serious the problems of the future may be, the record of the past year is one of outstanding achievement.
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