Separate J Force Body Said To Be Unnecessary

Chronicle (Levin), 17 August 1948, Page 6

Separate J Force Body Said To Be Unnecessary

WELLINGTON, August 16. " No fruitful purpose could be served by the formation of a separate J Force Association and only fur'ther division and~ sectarianism among returned men could result from sueh a move, declared Mr. Kex M. "Thorstensen, J Force representative on the'1 Dominion executive of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Association, today. Re said that after interviewing scores of men' just returned froiii Japan, he felt these Kiwis beiieved his association had' capably represented thein in th'e past and would continue to do so. liehabilitaiion prob lems of the J Force wpuld be almost identieal with those of earlier returned comrades of World War TI and suceessful rehabilitation could not be aehieved by minorities acquiring gains ,or being granted privileges at the expense of otliers who, tlirough no fault of their own, might liave been ineligible for the saine type of service. Mr. Thorstensen elaimed that the majority of-.J Force men were fullv satisfied that the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Association had voiced the opinions of the whole force in its criticisin of the H.S.A. oder of assistance in forming a separate o'rganisation. "We do not want . R.S.A. assistance. It has come too late," he said. The feelings of K.S.A. veterans were respected but the younger returned men did not need and would not aceept any belateo cliarity from that quarter. Every member of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Associati.on liad the higiiest respect for the R.S.A. president, Kir Howard Kippenberger, but surely his recent expression of rggrel iliat a separate body had ever been fonnedj.did not square, witli tlie R.S. A. present eJTorts to divide the ranks still inore by forming yot anotlier separate body for J Force men.