MR. FRASER REPLIES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 17, 15 October 1942, Page 6

MR. FRASER REPLIES

Amendment Moved To

Motion HISTORY OF STRIKE

Rising to reply to the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, -moved the following amendment: — "This House pledges anew its united and wholehearted support for the Government and the War Cabinet in the conduct of the war effort, and expresses its determination as representatives of all the people in the Dominion to prosecute that war effort with singleness of jHirjio.se and undiminished energy until victory for the cause of democracy and freedom is won.”

“In moving this iimcmlment.” said Hie Prime Minister. "I feel certain, that it will more thoroughly represent the wishes and hearts of the people of this' than would the motion. As 1 listened to flic Leader of the Opposition I wondered if "-bat I heard was really in Hie New Zet:’“"(l Housf- of Representatives with. Hie Japanese only a few hundred miles tiwny. I also wondered w'u'.f lied been the directing keynote of the honourable gentleman's utterances and the inspiration of bi» actions.”

The Prime Minister said that the honourable gentleman's heart bled for Hie mine owners beenus(< for lite duration of the war they were sharing control instead of having absolute control. That was not robbing them of the mines, ns the Leader of the Opposition had declared it to be. The mines were theirs ami would be theirs at the end of the war. It was wrong, according to the Leader of Hie Opposition to control mines, but it was not wrong to control lives and take young men and send them to fight and hie for us. The Leader of the Opposition had contended that coal was of Secondary importance to Hie enforcement of the law in the. particular instance under review, but coal was absolutely vital at that time. Mr. Bodkin (Opposition. Central Otago): Wasn’t Hie real issue the question of who was to goyefin the country? The Prime Minister siiiil that the Government had to decide what was in the best interests of Hie country. "We were within a few days of tin* complete collapse of the dairy industry in the AVaikato.” said Al.’. Fraser, “and we had urgent representations from the dairy industry mid from all oyer the country to get the mines working and the coal supply coming forward again. Regrettable Aspect. “The arguments advanced by the lender of the Opposition are unreal in face of Hie war situation facing this country.” said Mr. Fraser. "All will agree Hint the overwhelming need was and is unity in our war effort. 1 felt that all along, Mid .made every effort to. achieve it, and was prepared to go further and agree to a National Government.' There can lie no basis of a National Government if one is not sure of his colleague.-’, mid if they decide immediately they cannot get their own way to resign. All promise of national unity in the war effort lias been smashed. What reliance and what confidence can there be when a minority which does not get its own way retires and smashes up mi arrangement? There is no basis of trust on which one can build. That is the most regrettable and serious aspect of Hie whole business.” Mr. Fraser said that nothing in the way of administration was important enough to smash Hie unity that was so desirable today. The action of the I.eader of the Opposition showed a lack of comprehension of the issues at. i-’take. The miners were admittedly wrong when they struck or went slow, said Mr. Fraser’. Striking or going slow was trebly wrong iti wartime. Judging from some newspaper articles tlie Press did not seem to realize Hint in wartime Hie pick was more powerful and mon’ essential limn Hie pen, and that coal was mere important than misleading articles. Origin of Control. ’lf anyone claimed that the idea of control of the mines originated with the miners and that, control had been introduced as a bribe to the miners, then they were certainly incorrect, said the Prime Minister. Tlie men were misled by a few, and that misleadership did not give a chance to Hie magistrate who did bis best to avoid sentencing the men. That was the outlook of tlie Government, the M’ar Cabinet, and Hie vast majority of the jxjople of this country, if the law should bo enforced against ISO miners, then i lie law must be upheld against tlie lot, and another 900 U--1000 put iu jail. "Whatever happened, I take full responsibility for asking that Hie operation of Um sentences be suspended till another method could be explored to get Hie men to see reason.” said Mr. Fraser. "Does tlie majesty of the law demand that in all circumstances sentence's must be served? It is-part of our Constitution that sentences can be revoked, suspended, or a complee pardon given. The Government acted according to precedent, not' only in this country but elsewhere. The Government was not dealing with men who were essentially criminals, -nit ordinary decent citizens who had done wrong. Many of them had sons lighting overseas and were they to In.’ '’inlawed lieciiiise they hail been Ini :<> (Io wrong." After referring tq I lie proposals lor tlie resiiiiiplipn of work at tlie nrnes. Mr. Fraser said Hut! the miiie-owimrs hud agreed wilh Hie control regulations on (-very point but one, and '.lint was the clause relating to tlie cnsiing vole of tlie Minister of Mines ns clmir man of tlie control board.

Mr. Goosimin (Opposition Waikato) : Under tluress. Mr. Holland, said the Prime Minister. had walked out of lite Cabinet meeting for the purpose of allowing the decision to be unanimous. He bad said, "I am the odd man out.” Meetings'after that one, liowever, had been attended by Mr. Holland, who had considered that he was serving his convictions by walking out of the meeting. Mr. Holland: That is unfair.

Tlie proposals, said Mr. Erasei. hud been supixirted by the other National Parly Ministers present, the member for Cent nil Otago (Mr. Bodkin) being away at the time. Mr. Bodkin: I wired that 1 was opposed to the proposal. Mr. Fraser asked what could lie the basis of unity when two Ministers who had voted for it then resigned because the proposal was approved. When reference was imide to annual conferences of the Labour Party dictating to members of the House what was one to think of a caucus that asked Ministers to resign who followed their own convictions and then were threatened by the dictatorship of the Leader of the Opposition and the executive of the party. If there'was justification for winning industrial iieace in the seamen’s strike in 1931 then there was a thousand . times more justification

for what was done in the Waikato to keep op Hie production of coal. ."I have never kuown.su much harm done with so little cause.” said Mr. Fraser. "The whole basis of unity Ims been destroyed. I regret the strike, I regret, the altitude of men, I regret tlie miners forced the magistrate to impose sentence, and I regret that Ministers emulated miners who bad struck because one of them could not get bi? own way.” The Minister of Mines, Mr. Webb, said tlie Leader of Hie Opposition's alternative was to bring in the military forces. He apparently did not appreciate that one could not drive miners to produce coal with machineguns. Had his course been followed there would have been civil war. Had the miners been put in prison tlie workers throughout tlie country would have come out on strike and chaos would have resulted. He defended the Government’s action as being the only way out of a difficult situation.