Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1940. NEW ZEALAND AT WAR.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 May 1940, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1940. NEW ZEALAND AT WAR.

\ SPIRITED reply—one that developed at times the aspect A of a brisk counter-attack—was made by the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) last evening to critics of the Government’s conduct of the war. The Minister appeared to be concerned most with critics who were at the same time active political opponents of the Government seeking to turn the existing state of affairs to their own advantage. It may be agreed that any individuals or groups adopting such tactics as these invite a rough rejoinder and are entitled to scant consideration. Many, however, who have no thought of party political manoeuvring mav feel that New Zealand is far from being as well or completely organised as it should be in an unprecedented emergency of war.

On the questions of production and export to which he devoted a substantial part of his address, Mr Nash made out a case that was not merely strong, but as far as it went conclusive. He said in brief that although the production of wool had fallen away from causes beyond control, this country had produced considerably more meat and dairy produce than the United Kingdom had' undertaken to buy or had yet been able to provide shipping for.

As has been said, that, as far as it goes, is a strong and I even a conclusive case. It would have been stronger still, however, had the Minister been in a positon to say that everything humanly possible had been done to expedite the loading and unloading of ships in this country and so to encourage the British Government to send here the greatest possible volume of shipping tonnage to lift produce. This is a question on which Mr Nash said nothing in detail, but. it is a question, which a great many people who have no political axe whatever to grind would very 7 much like to hear discussed with open freedom in Parliament. Apart from conditions of cargo handling which are in themselves of the gravest importance, many aspects of the assembling and loading of our export produce have long been extremely 7 uneconomic and inefficient and should be open to very great improvement in a worthy harnessing of the national energies in time of war..

The essential question here is: Are overseas ships being “turned round” in New Zealand as expeditiously 7 as is humanly possible? If they are not, then here is a vital particular in which our national war effort may 7 be improved upon with great advantage to the Mother Country 7 and .the. Dominion alike.

It must be agreed by 7 all fair-minded people that it would be outrageous to attempt to trade upon the war emergency 7 in order, as the executive of the Amalgamated Society 7 of Railway 7 Servants put it in a resolution reported yesterday; to make “combined attacks on the workers’ conditions.” It is equally open to condemnation, however, that any 7 body 7 or section of workers should be allowed, by disproportionate and unfair demands, to hamper and iweaken the national war effort. What may be asked is that any attempt, whether by workers, employers or any 7 other section to hinder or impede that effort shall be dealt with drastically. We need our own parallel in this country to the powers the British Government has been given by 7 Parliament, with the full support of the trade union movement in the United Kingdom—powers described fairly as being without parallel in the political history 7 of the country.

It is possible to agree unreservedly with the executive of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants that the time “is overdue for a co-operative effort by all sections of the community to assist the Government in the prosecution of the Avar and the maintenance of maximum production, instead of causing dissension by useless bickerings indulged in for selfish and sectional purposes.” People who, in the words of the executive, “are not prepared to make the sacrifices they are demanding from others” are entitled to nothing but reprobation. The “commandeering of the profits and wealth of the Dominion,” which the executive recommends, no doubt will he carried out in full measure. What is needed, however, at the. largest view is nothing less than, an effective call upon the total energies and resources of the community, in conditions neither imposing unjust burdens nor granting unjust privileges to any group or section.