TEMPERS FRAYED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 177, 29 July 1942, Page 5

TEMPERS FRAYED

CANADIAN COMMONS

Alleged Untrained Force Sent To Hongkong

n" -*? „^ ress Association—Copyright Rec. 10.30 a.m. OTTAWA, July 28. tumult, and shouting, in which the Prime Minister Mr King describe d OpposiSas ? m °k. serious allernmmL e ( "] ade m the House of to " da y respecting the rnmmf n ® expedition and the Duff Commission inquiry on the subject. Mr Mackenzie King had been asked to table a letter from the Conservative member, Col. Drew. The Prime Minister later promised an opportunity for members to debate the contents of Col. Drew's letrnT' «Ut t ?" day declared that the Chief Justice, Sir Lyman Duff, was being maligned in the House, and contended to the Speaker that the contents of Col. Drew's letter could not be used in a debate for the purPO £t, of maligning the Chief Justice. ine Speaker ruled that ncne of the commission evidence, apart from that contained in the commissioner's report, could be used in the debate. the lunch adjournment the Prime Minister and the Conservative leader, Mr. Hanson, were on their feet at the same time waving their arms and shouting, their voices being drowned in a chorus of calls for order.

t, Mr. Howard Green (Conservative, British Columbia) said the Duff inquiry into the Hongkong expedition revealed that the Canadian force sent to Japan on October 27 last was only partly trained men. who had not been taught to use certain weapons which they expected to use and some of which they had not even handled.

Official Incapacity Alleged Mr. Green's motion said that the evidence at the inquiry revealed convincing proof of the incapacity of the responsible military authorities, and demonstrated an immediate and urgent need for a comprehensive reorganisation of the Defence Department.

Replying to Mr. Green's criticism, the Defence Minister, Colonel Ralston, said the Canadian expedition was sent in response to a British request for two battalions for garrison duty at Hongkong "because it was a matter of common knowledge that the United States was none too ready to enter the war at that time." Also, if Canada could help to deter Japan even by sending a small force, it was to the advantage of everybody that she do it.

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa had all helped to hold back the Nazi forces in different theatres of war, said the Minister, "therefore it seemed to the Government that Canada ought to take some share of garrisoning the Pacific.

After the luncheon adjournment, when tempers had cooled, Mr. Mackeizie King ordered that his reference to the Opposition as a mob be expunged from the records.

Colonel Ralston told the House that Major - General Schmidlin, Quartermaster-General, was relieved of his post before the Hongkong Royal Commission held its inquiry. This was in reply to Mr. Boucher (Con., Ontario), who complained that Major-General Schmidlin had been condemned without a hearing because he did not give evidence at the Royal Commission.

The Duff report criticised the Quartermaster-General's department for failure to get mechanical transport to Vancouver in time to accompany the Hongkong expedition. In the course of the debate Mr. Ross Mac Donald (Lib., Ontario) retaliated by alleging that Colonel Drew held up production of Bren guns in Canada at least a year. Colonel Drew was one of the chief critics of the Duff report.

Mr. Randolph Churchill, son of the British Prime Minister, sat in the gallery during the debate, and later dined with Mr. Mackenzie King.