AUSSIE CONSCRIPTION

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXV, Issue 254, 28 October 1942, Page 3

AUSSIE CONSCRIPTION

ARMY MINISTER ANGERED.

P.A. Cable.

CANBERRA, Oet. 26.

COnscription for overseas service was neither necessary nor justifLed in Australia at the present time, declared Mr Forde, the Army Minister. He was replying to a demand by Mr Fadden (the Country Party leader) for the merging of the A.I.F. and the Militia into one army. "I deprecate Mr Fadden's efforts to play the game of party politics at this critical period," said Mr Forde, who charged Mr Fadden with attempting to wreck the present Government. "The Government's attitude has been clearly defined," declared the Minister. "It is opposed to eonscription for overseas service and the introdu-ction of the issue at this critical period does a great disservice to Australia. During the regime of the Lyons, Menzies and Fadden Governments, definite statements were made to the people that those Governments would not introduce conscription for service overseas. They now want us to do what they pledged themselves not to do. "I cannot give the number of men in the A.I.F. (Australia's volunteer force for overseas service) for reasons of security, but I can say that we have a very large force and members of the Militia (the conscripted force for service within Australia and in Australian mandated territories, including New Guinea) are voluntarily transferring to the A.I.F. at a rate four times greater than that of enlistments in the A.I.F. when the last Government went out of office. In other words, with the changed position following Japan's entry into the v/ar, there is less need for conscription for overseas service to-day than at any previous time."