NOT SO FAR AWAY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 16 October 1942, Page 4

NOT SO FAR AWAY

TERRIFIC STRUGGLE IN PACIFIC I’KESEVI CRITICAL SIT 1 ATION THREAT TO NEW ZEALAND 1t ruin Out Own ) •" ii.'nneniiii \ .. ; Wellington, Tin I I sav that at tin., very moment the situation a.*, far us this country is concerned i perhaps as critical as it could be." declared Mr J G. Coates, a mem- , her of the Wat Cabinet, when he entered the debate on the no-confidence motion in the I lou e of Rcpiesentative last night. Jle forced home this point in emphatic and vivid language which mad" a deep impression on the House. "Member- have gleaned from the j newspapers," continued Mr Coates, j “some of the activities not so far away I from u lam going to lake the risk of , saying that at this very moment there , is a terrific struggle* on the part of our ' .Air.es to hold the ground they have gained not just a raid, but a deternnned attack to drive them out. Some people will say that it is a long way off. [Il is not so far away. Members have seen foi themselves the results of cer- ! tain battles on the men who have re- | turned to this country to be healed

from their wound.-. That must be an indication to the average person that this war is very close to our country and to Australia. That struggle at this very moment may mean the safety and preservation of our people. That is not an exaggeration. These are stern facts that every man and woman in this country should realise as never beMr F. W. Doidge (National, Tauranga): “Were we not up against sterner facts alter Dunkirk?” VITAL ISSUE AT STAKE Mr Coates replied that he respected the opinions of Mr Doidge. but he very much doubted whether every member of the House realised that an issue so vital to ourselves was at stake at that very moment at a point ju.-t a few days away by sea and less than a day away by air, where this titanic struggle was taking place. “We are in it. We cannot leave it to anybody else." continued the Minister. “We are not made that way, and none of our people here would say that our 150.000 or 200.000 men do not come into the picture. Of course they do. and with them what comes into the picture more than anything else is what is happening to our wives and families if the worst happens.’ No effort or sacrifice we can make is too great to defeat the enemy who threatens us aLfhis very moment.” Mr Coates spoke enthusiastically of New Zealanders in the Middle East, declaring: “We are mighty proud of them and their performances. None are better.” (Hear, hear.) They were depending on us to look after this flank while they were away. And there

were the New Zealanders in the Navy of whom a Commanding Officer had said to him: “They are magnificent.” We had New Zealanders in the Merchant Marine quietly and silently doing their duty with no bands to play them off. Hundreds had been lost yet they went on, which should surely bring home to us the realities o/ the position. Our men in the Air Force had brought lustre to themselves and their country, those of the ground forces and air crews. We in New Zealand were responsible to them all to give everything we had and use our initiative and thinking powers in the rection of welding our country in one direction only, to organise our country , to make the best use of the material and man power they had left behind. "NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT” “We cannot afford to make a mistake.” warned Mr Coates, “because a mistake means an advantage to the enemy.” Members should make it clear to the people that there was a stern, stiff task ahead and that no sacrifice was too great to enable New Zealand to present a solid front, using the maximum effort the country could make at that very moment. Alter making impressive reference to what he described as the titanic struggle taking place within one day’s distance by air from New Zealand. Mr Coates devoted attention to the issue raised by the Opposition Leader’s noconfidence motion. Mr Coates said the issue before the House turned definitely on the question of whether the law should be carried out in respect of a group of miners in the Waikato area. He asked himself what he would do in similar circumstances to those which had arisen, and he asked other people to put themselves in the same position. No coal was being produced. There was no one to mine Hie coal. The real need was coal. It was essential to the coun-

try s war requirements because without that coal the country’s war effort and war requirements were definitely being seriously and dangerously jeopardised. That was the fact they had lo face. No one could condone the aclion of the miners. It was wrong. It was bad judgment. At the point when all the miners went oui on strike they were all in the same box. Although he was definitely of the opinion that the law should be put aside sparingly, at the point where the people were { threatened, in his opinion, they were j entitled to pass by even a direction of j a court. (Government "Hear, hears.”) I Mr J. Hodgens (Government, Pal- . | merston North *: “Statesmanship.” “NOT TIME FOR ELECTION” ' Dealing with the question of an elecj lion Mr Coates said that without hesij tation his view was that this was not ■ the time for an election. Members in ! the Secret Session would get a close up view of why. If mere was any doubt in the minds of members he was quite prepared, as one member, to leave it to two or three perfectly independent men with a knowledge of the movements of forces in this area and the eastern area as to whether, in their opinion, the country was at liberty to get into the throes of an election and tHe disastrous effect of one pulling the hide off the other on the public platforms. His view was that they were . not entitled at this moment to take any liberty whatever. “Have an election by all means, but [ not now,” Mr Coates added. “You could j not now at this stage. You should { Mr Coates said that he had been told that he said when he returned to Wellington from Auckland that the mine owners agreed with the piuposed regulations for the control of the mines. The Prime Minister: “You never said tk. t.” The Minister ol Mines 'Mr Webb): ■‘Just the opposite was said." Mr Coates said that what he had stated was that the matter had been put before the coal mine owners and that they were opposed to it. The Prime Minister: “But that they were friendly in their discussions.” "The mine owners." said Mr Coates, "were anxious to help in every way possible but they said they had done no wrong and did not see why they should be selected for special treatment.”