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REVIEW OF WORLD AFFAIRS

Address By Mr. Nash INCREASING EFFORT URGED

“The world position today is belter than at atty time since September, 1939, 'but there arc two things we must not do : We must not dream of slackening uP ami we must not usc,tl to war. We should try to get out of the war, and that means increasing our effort. It is surely better to have one year of concentrated effort to drive the Germans out and then turn to Japan than to allow the war to drag on for two years or more.” This warning was given bv the Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash, addressing tiie annual conference of the New Zealand Public Service Association in Wellington yesterday. “If we see the position of tiie world, and New Zealand in particular, In proper perspective, there is today nothing else but public service,” said Mr. Nash. Outside tiie maintenance of the country’s economy and care for those who could not look after themselves, all activities should contribute directly or indirectly to the war effort. There was, however, in this and other countries a great danger of a slackening up. “Nothing, in my opinion, could be worse,” said Mr. Nash. “It might extend the war by 12 months or more and give the enemy a chance of recuperating which it would not otherwise have.” It was difficult in a world which had been at war for nearly live years to urge that there should be no slackening up, but the state of mind which favoured any such slackening was most dangerous. The war was not over. We had not yet defeated the Germans, though he thought that might bo closer than many people realized. However, while we had thousands of men where they were, and while there were millions suffering hardship, even starving ito death, to talk of slackening up and preparing for peace in its fullness was all wrong. World Position. The world position had taken a start-, ling change for goo’d in tiie last 12 months. Probably no one, except perhaps the Russians themselves, had expected that they would achieve what they had achieved, said Mr. Nash, stressing the importance of the Dnieper line break-ithrougli. It would be getting into a bad position, however, if the Russians succeeded in convincing their ow-v people that they themselves alone had defeated the Germans. It would not be true, because no one could know the full effect of the unprecedented, consistent bombing carried out over Germany by the R.A.F. It was totally outside normal human experience. But we knew of the shattering of towns and cities, not only buildings but the people also. As a result the German effort against Russia had been depleted and in part destroyed by inability to get supplies. It was costly; the loss of 60 bombers might mean 600 men going to their deaths—and knowing that they were going. We should not think of easing up while day and night men were going to tho attack. Discussing the Balkans, Mr. Nash said that we should expect little help from that source against the Germans in the next 12 months. In spite of the bitterness of the people, men who were ill-fed could not be expected to be strong enough to fight against men who were well fed. “A great job has been done In Italy and it looks as if something will be cracking there before even November is out,” said Mr. Nash. “If we can get across the top of Italy it may make a striking change in the war situation.” Turning to the Pacific, he said: “When the accumulated force of the United States Navy and Air Force strikes the Japanese, as it may do soon, they will wonder what has hit them.” The job was going on in an amazing way i- the Solomons and New Hebrides and our own men had done good work. “I hope there will be no suggestion that we have done or are doing too much)” said Mr. Nash. “I hope we will remember how the British people have suffered and how they worked to send us supplies when we were in grave danger 12 months ago. What Britain and tile United States did made it certain that Japan could not come here —and in January last year it was pretty well a toss up whether Japan got Fiji and made it a base to come here.” "When one realized what Britain was planning to do to see that Japan was defeated and. that Australia and New Zealand were all right it was impossible to talk about doing too much. Food Shortage. “There is a grave danger of a real food shortage in the world during the next few years,” said Mr. Nash. There had been a great decline of production in various areas and livestock had been moved by the Axis from one place to another and slaughtered instead of being used for breeding. It was estimated that 300,000,000 to 500,000,000 people would be on the verge of starvation before the war was over, most of them in Europe and some in China. In any case it was said that half tho population of the world had never had enough to eat in normal times and their position had been accentuated by the war. Therefore, though it was necessary now to concentrate minds and bodies on getting rid of the war, it was also necessary to think about what was to be done when the enemy was defeated. It was necessary to prepare for post-war —though not for peace. , .... “After the war,” said Mr. Nash, there will be a decade of adjustment when things will be as difficult, if not more difficult, than during the last four years tor governments, public servants and every* one who wants freedom. The uniting objective of winning the war will have gone, and we must think now how we can hold an objective in front of us when the war is over so that we will be able to go forward to better things.” Some would be wanting to go back to old methods , otheis would be wanting to cut out capitalism. It would be necessary to work out a method of achieving unity and. so create ■i better world. Already Britain and the United States were holding conferences to discuss such things as food, currency relief and rehabilitation of the occupied countries and air transport. In the main these conferences were being organized bv public servants and they, in the main, would determine what was to be dime.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19431020.2.28

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 21, 20 October 1943, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,099

REVIEW OF WORLD AFFAIRS Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 21, 20 October 1943, Page 4

REVIEW OF WORLD AFFAIRS Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 21, 20 October 1943, Page 4

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