R.S.A., Labour Federation and Conscription

Grey River Argus, 13 October 1948, Page 6

R.S.A., Labour Federation and Conscription

HAMILTON, Oct. 12. Objection to the Federation of Labour, in a recent statement issued to the press, making the question of compulsory national service a sectional political issue was voiced by several members of the Waikato R.S.A. executive at a meeting last night. There was considerable discussion on the subject, the. concensus of opinion being that security of New Zealand and the British Empireshould be fare above party politics. The introduction party politics appeared to be for the sole purpose of defeating the only feasible and fair manner under which the responsibility of defending the country could be logically and adequately undertaken.

It was alleged that the federation’s statement was grossly inconsistent with one of the main planks of its own policy, that of compulsory unionism. If it was good enough for the federation' to maintain that compulsory unionism was essential to ensure the economic structure of th? Dominion, surely it was claimed it was even more important for compulsory national service to ensure that the country was not so weak mi 1 itari 1 y as to invite attack.