WARNING!

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 51, 11 May 1942, Page 5

WARNING!

THE THREAT TO OUR LAND MR H. T. MORTON'S NEWS Mr H. T. Morton, Mayor of Te Kuiti, was a popular speaker at the Awake New Zealand meeting in Whiakatane last Thursday evening. He drew the attention of the audience to many obvious and flagrant weaknesses in our commercial and social life to-day and received 1 warm applause when he concluded. Mentioning the two books, ''Secret Agent for Japan," and ''Back to Malaya," he 'said that either of these would serve to indicate what the people of New Zealand could expect, if ever this country came under the rule of Nippon. And this he said was the avowed objective of Japan—to capture and control both Australia and this country. The Awake New Zealand move-, ment Avas absolutely non-political— if politics were allowed to come into it, he for one would* get out. What it aimed at doing was to stimulate interest in the hitherto neglected Home Guard. That organisation he claimed had been conceived in the womb of public opinion, born a lusty and healthy child but nourished he was sorry to say on a windy diet of broken promises and skim milk. He was glad however to note that samples in Whakatane looked husky enough. Ammunition Instancing the laxity of Government control he stated that at -the Colonial Ammunition factory in Auckland, the only plant where the much needed .803 ammunition could be manufactured onb* two shifts were being worked six days a week and all holidays were taken off. By stark contrast the Australian' Glass Company at Penrose where beer bottles were turned out at seven a minute a 24-hour day was worked all the year round and no holidays were taken. The A.N.Z.C. were not going to rest until the positions were reversed. (Applause). Liquor Transport Another glaring instance was the transport of liquor overland by sixwheeled lorries from Tauranga to Rotoua Avhen the railway ran to that very town. Three huge lorries he said were maintained to waste rubber and petrol upon this completely unnecessary run. His organisation was going to see to i'; that this jmrticular type of abuse was stopped, and that carriage in

this direction in future would be done by the Government Railways. Military Defaulters Speaking of military defaulters he said that it Avas a source of bitter contemplation to know that 1400 of them still existed and refused to fight for the land which had bred and reared them. He was not speaking so much of conscientious objectors —he could not understand them but those men who while, sharing the same privileges with their fellows were prepared to sit in concentration camps while their fellow countrymen were fighting and spilling their blood in their defence. It was not right. What were Ave to do with those miserable skunks?— He suggested that they be set up in camps and given work to do and If they failed in that, they forewent the right to eat. What was the good of feeding them and letting them sit down doing nothing but discussing what high political rank they .ore going to rise to in 20 years time. New Zealand had to shake off her complacency and get behind her Home Guard which thank heaven did not lack in soldierly spirit. The people had now to get right behind the guard and arm and equip it to the very best of the means within their power.