AUSTRALIA’S WAR POSITION

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23976, 17 June 1943, Page 5

AUSTRALIA’S WAR POSITION

MR HUGHES ATTACKS MR CURTIN RECENT STATEMENT CHALLENGED (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) s (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 15. The leader of the United Australia ? Party in the Federal House of Repre- ' sentatives (Mr W. M. Hughes) dc- • scribed as "a hollow sham” and "a s I mere political stunt” the recent statell ment of the war position by the Prime > Minister (Mr J. Curtin). In a bitter £ attack, Mr Hughes said that Mr Curtin was narrow and parochial, that he had 5 been against compulsory military train- . ing, and had done nothing to aid voluntary recruiting, that for 25 years and ! more he had been a bitter anti-con-scriptionist, and that in this war he was an isolationist, ' “As a member of the Advisory War ’ Council, I am supposed to be kept fully informed, but I know of no ' change in the military situation in the : south-west Pacific that warrants Mr 1 Curtin’s statement,” said Mr Hughes. He added that if it were true that ■ Australia was safe from invasion, then ; the country’s manpower position l should be reviewed immediately. . Geared for total war, Australia had ; an army of about 800.000. More than > half the land forces were not available ■ for offensive operations outside the • restricted area prescribed by the , Militia Act. To build this great army primary industries had been most seri- , ously handicapped, and many thous- | ands of small businessmen and retail ’ traders had been compelled to close : down. Thousands of women had been sent to work in factories, married ! women had been taken from their 1 home duties, and children left without proper care. But if the danger ; of invasion had passed, as claimed by ( Mr Curtin, then at least 100,000 of the ■ military forces could be released to ■ industry and further call-ups were no longer necessary. [ “When the Prime Minister of AusI tralia affirms and then reaffirms his belief that the Japanese can now no | longer invade Australia, we may be pretty certain that Australia is safe,” ; says the “Manchester Guardian” in a leading article. The “Manchester Guardian” adds: A good many people have thought the same thing for some time, but they lived a long way farther from the Japanese than the Australians, and views about the imminence of danger tend to vary with distance. We may assume that as Mr Curtin's opinion is so happily definite, the recent Washington conference was satisfactory to him in the prospects it held out, also that Allied strength in and around Australia has been substantially increasing. A great invasion expedition would now run the risk of becoming a great disaster. “General Mac Arthur recently reported a constant growing reinforcement of enemy strength in the island perimeter. It now appears that in Mr Curtin’s view the Japanese intention is defensive." „ ..... “The Japanese have allowed the initiative to drop from their grasp in the south-west Pacific,", writes the war correspondent of the “Christian Science Monitor” (W. E. Lucas), explaining the improvement in Allied fortunes in this theatre. Discussing Mr Curtin’s re. cent statement that the enemy cannot now invade Australia, he spys: ‘On the face of it, it might appear that we have witnessed a remarkable exhibition of sleight-of-hand. In point of fact, the formidable Japanese forces which according to some observers never appeared more than defensive, have proved to be that very thing. Thus, Mr Curtin’s present optimism might possibly be regarded as a delayed realisation of a position Actually existing several months ago. “There are, too, other aspects in the south-west Pacific giving cause for what might be called ’negative optimism.’ The enemy has done little to prevent our side from improving its defensive as well as its offensive power round New Guinea and north of Australia. Thus, with the general increased pressure against Japan, th® position in this area must automatically take on a rosier colouring." BEVERIDGE PLAN APPROVAL GIVEN BY LABOUR PARTY FUTURE ACTION DEBATED (N.ZP.A.-8.0.W.) (Rec. 7 p m.) LONDON, June 18. The British Labour Party conference carried unanimously a resolution welcoming the Beveridge plan and calling for speedy legislation lor its implementation. Mr Arthur Greenwood, M.P-, said that it was perfectly clear that they could not have social security by itself. The plan assumed that there would be full employment, which meant a substantial economic reorganisation in Britain, and the nation must also take a big part in international reorganisation. They could not have an improved standard of life at the expense of others. The main thing was to build a "security house,” and then there would be plenty of time to see about the fixtures for inside the house. If they made the issue a matter of parliamentary life or death, the positions of the Labour Ministers would become intolerable. An amendment calling on the Parliamentary Party to continue its effcf'ts for immediate legislation to implement the principles of the Beveridge report was defeated by 760,000 votes. Supporting the amendment, Mr Alfred Edwards, M.P., said: “The Government got Herbert Morrison to defend its attitude to the Beveridge plan. Mr Morrison is becoming a sort of black and white artist. When things are black, the Government puts him up to prove they are white. I think he did a great disservice to the party on that occasion.” Mr Edwards described Sir William Jowitt, the Minister withoirt portfolio, as a Minister without a job, without a staff, without an office, and without a soul—a Minister for the co-ordination of pretence.” Mr Greenwood, replying for the executive, said: “I believe that our three Ministers in the War Cabinet have done their best, and will do their best, to secure the implementation of our Beveridge report policy. If we go on creating divisions in the party our people will come out and you will leave the rest of the war to a predominantly Tory Government. You will get a few parings of the Beveridge report and some offal of social reform after the war, but you will be regarded by the Tory Party and a large number of people in Britain as quitters, and this movement will have committed suicide.’’ An executive resolution demanding the organisation of a State medical service immediately conditions permitted was adopted. FOOD PRICES IN AMERICA (8.0. W.) RUGBY, June IS. Mr Roosevelt, at a press conference in Washington, announced that pro. posals had been submitted for th# plac. ing of all United States goods under one administrator. The President said that so far no better suggestion had been submitted than Federal subsidies to keep essential foods within the present price ceilings. It would be impossible to empower a food “Czar” lo a point where such a person could overrule other phases of the war effort. Mr Roosevelt added that a subsidy programme to keep the cost of food at or below the ceiling would represent from only 1J lo 2 per cent. of the current annual cost of the wac Bk effort, and it would be inviting infla- HI tion in the worst sense if prices were H permitted to rise. ■