Want Referendum On Conscription

Chronicle (Levin), 17 February 1949, Page 5

Want Referendum On Conscription

Press Association)

(Per

WELLINGTON, Feb. 10. Before any policy of peacetime conscription was put into elfect, it should be submitted to a referendum of the people, declared the national council of the New Zealand Federation of Lahour today. The council on Tuesday was told by the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, that he hoped volitntary enlistments would b.e adequate to meet the Dominion's military requirements but that if that did not do the job, conscription might be necessary. No one. would deny that this country v/as worth defending and if it was worth defending then it was reasonable- to take measures to put defence into effect. Mr. Fraser said that in his opinion the policy of "the Labour movement on the issues involved should joe fully discussed by the movement apd he hoped' that before any decisioiig were made, the matter would be referred to the industrial and politicai Labour conferences to be held in Wellington in May. The national council, after a long discussion, decided that before any policy of peacetime conscription* was put into effect, the matter should be referred by the federation of Lahour to the affiliated unions and that th« federation 's policy he determlned by the annual conference of delegates in May. v The council, at the same time, declared therej should he a referendum of the people if peacetime conscription was contemplated,