CONSCRIPTION POLICY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24419, 3 October 1940, Page 8

CONSCRIPTION POLICY

MEN AND WEALTH i ,a '/ MR FRASER REPLIES TO CRITICS THE COMPULSORY LOAN <Fhom Our Parliamentary Reporter) ■■ . A " WELLIN6TOfc/pdt/2. ■ “I want to make'.it clear : that Jl fhe Government stands for conscription* ’of wealth as well: as: conscription ; : of human beings,” said; the ister (Mr. P. Eraser) when speakihgjOn the war “loan in ' the House; of .Stepresehtatives ‘to-night. -Members' of 'The who had-criticised the loan. Mr Fraser said; seemed •to be anxious to pander, to(- people ■ wherwanted/ito dp.dgp, their. fair share./. ,There were some 1 who' argued—aJthQugh'hedid.- not agree with sufficieht~men could be raised td fight oVergpas.without conscription/ the/Prime - Minister said, while -members of, the.. Opposition had contended that sufficient :mopey could be found for war purposes without compulsion. The Government had not hesitated to conscript men/ When it became necessary and had made it clear at that time that it would hot hesitate to conscript wealth'. \I 'f; Mr F. W. Dpidge (Opposition, ;Tauranga): If it is to be the studied policy of the Government to ‘ conscript wealth, what will be the effect on voluntary patriotic effort? “T don’t think it, will .be ;af?ected:'S.t all,” Mr Fraser, said. “I,don’t.think’ there is any section, of the people .whose patriotism; is patriotism! of'the: po'cket. The compulsory not he resented by those who are'/willing to give, anyway. Compulsion/will be applied only, to. those who. will/ not give. / : . ..//. r 1. Mr Doidge: You would get all.y.qu Want Without conscription. '-a- / ■ ”We were pledged to ; the - conscription of wealth;, as of men.” the Prime Minister continued, ” and we boidd hot stay in office another hour if we ,went back on that. Nothing matters except the successful carrying out Of the war, for otherwise all is gone. Are/we going to hesitate to use the financial resources of the country? ” Mr W. J. Poison, (Opposition, Stratford) : t Well, since you conscript men in classes. *why not conscript wealth the same way? “That is exactly what has been done.” Mr Fraser concluded. //. /

SACRIFICES OF THE- COMMUNITY STATEMENT BY MINISTER (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) / , WELLINGTON, Oct... 2.- " The view that as’the country., had accepted military conscription "it dangerous to take the" line that wealthshould not be conscripted, was expressed by the Minister of Supply,-- Mr D. G. Sullivan, speaking in the,House to-night. • Mr -Sullivan said-:that- some danger to the war effort would be involved if ahy . group of members -of the House took the line that .'despite the sacrifices of the community in accepting military conscription, there was not a wholehearted willingness on the part of all to make financial sacrifices. The people felt keenly against -profiteering and the making of money out of the war, and they also felt deeply that those who had,,the necessary financial resources should be .as liberal with' their resources and subjected to the same compulsion as the whole community in regard to military service.