FULL SUPPORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 June 1940, Page 5

FULL SUPPORT

FOR NATIONAL WAR EFFORT PROMISED BY FEDERATION OF LABOUR. JOINT STATEMENT WITH PARTY EXECUTIVE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Government’s war effort was discussed at a large-ly-attended conference of the New Zealand Federation of Labour held in Wellington on Saturday. A statement prepared by the national council of the Federation of Labour and the national executive ol the Labour Party reeommend--ing unstinted support for the Government in the measures taken to meet the present crisis was approved by a very large majority, the vote being the greatest ever cast

' at the conference. The delegates were addressed by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, and the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, to whom unanimous votes of thanks were accorded. PRESENTING THE FACTS. At a conference of the Labour Party today Cabinet Ministers will attend to discuss the war situation. The delegates will be given information on the present position, and Ministers intend to put forward all the facts that can be given outside of Cabinet. The following is the joint statement on war policy approved by the Federation of Labour and which will be presented to the Labour Party conference today:— A few days after the outbreak of the war, a wax’ that Nazi Germany brought about by its unprovoked and brutal invasion of Poland, the national council of the Federation of Labour and the national executive of the Labour Party issued statements pledging their fullest support to the New Zealand Labour Government in the stand it had taken along with Great Britain and the British Dominions and France in defence. of democracy against Nazi aggression. These statements were endorsed in their entirety by the members of the industrial and political Labour organisation. The statements drew attention to the destruction of the Trade Union and Labour organisations by Hitler wherever he had been able to seize power, and truly said that it was necessary for all. democratic peoples to get together in defence of .human rights and liberties.

CONDITIONS CHANGED. That pledge of support for the Labour Government and for democracy was repeated in a subsequent joint statement of the Federation of Labour and the Labour Party. That joint statement received the overwelming endorsement of the Easter conferences, and there is not the slightest doubt but that it represents the views of the great majority of the men and women who make up our movement.

These earlier statements represented the attitude of New Zealand Labour to the conditions obtaining at the time when they were drawn up, correct in relation to the then existing conditions. But the conditions have completely changed. Recent developments in the military situation have been unparalleled and as unexpected as they are portentous in their gravity. First Denmark and Norway were successfully invaded by the Nazis, then Holland and Belgium were overrun. Allied troops moved to the support of these two countries. At a critical stage of the struggle Belgium’s- King ordered the Belgian Army to lay down its arms and cease fighting. and this defection has helped to place the whole British Expeditionary Force in a position „of grave peril.

The Nazis’ mechanised forces have broken through to the Channel ports, and Britain herself is facing the posibility of invasion. The most ruthless military machine that this world has ever seen —a machine that slaughters man and child, soldier and refugee, male and female indiscriminately—has scored successes, however temporary those successes may be, and thereby will be spurred on to even greater efforts and still more wanton aggression.

NEW ZEALAND CONCERN. This trend of events has caused and is causing the greatest concern to the people of this Dominion. All realise that the Allied armies, navies and air forces are New Zealand’s first line of defence. Unless the Allies win, all is lost. In view of the fact that we are confronted with the greatest crisis in our history, the national executive of the Federation of Labour and the national executive of the Labour Party, after giving the fullest consideration to the situation, have convened emergency special conferences so that the representatives of the two organisations may be consulted and a course of action agreed on.

The reaction of the British people to these events has been prompt and resolute. An incompetent Conservative Government has been swept out of existence, and a new Government has been formed in which a large measure of power and responsibility has been given to the representatives of industrial and political Labour. Powers have been taken to place everything and everybody at the service of the nation. Our fellow workers in the Motherland, men and women alike, are straining every nerve and making every sacrifice to provide the supplies and services required to maintain the fighting forces at the highest state of efficiency. We know that the people of New Zealand will act no less resolutely. The Government has decided to enact legislation on the lines of the British legislation introducing compulsory national service for the whole of the wealth and man-power, of New Zealand. The joint executives of the Federation of Labour and the Labour Party have agreed to recommend to the industrial and political conferences of the Labour movement that we give our fullest support to our Government in its effort to help Great Britain and the Dominions and France in this grim struggle to safeguard democracy. MAXIMUM WAR EFFORT. In this struggle the industrial and political Labour movement must play its part. We must be prepared to face the grave issues that arise from day to day. We must be ready and willing to assist the Government to develop New Zealand's maximum war effort. In an earlier manifesto we stated: We pledge our wholehearted support to assist the Government to bring the war to a speedy and successful termination in the interest of the common people of all countries.

That pledge must now be implemented to the full. The legislation proposed by the Government should receive the unstinted support of the whole Labour movement. If Hitler wins there will be no liberty. To preserve that liberty for the future, decisive action must be taken now. The Government's proposals mean that to the extent required there will be conscription for national service of the whole of the wealth and the manpower of New Zealand. We are satisfied that the supporters of Labour will answer the call and ensure that every possible assistance is given to the Dominion in its effort to assist the Motherland to resist to the utmost the onslaught of aggression. CONFIDENCE IN CABINET. We must be realists —an all-in-policy has been adopted by the Government. The position is changing daily, even hourly, and the trust and confidence of the whole Labour movement must now be vested in the Cabinet and the Parliamentary Labour Party. We know that such trust will be used in the interest of this Dominion and its people. The Government will take all necessary steps to ensure: — (1) That no person or group of persons will be allowed to profit either directly or indirectly from the sacrifices made by the workers during the war emergency; (2) That all other sections of the community will be required to make sacrifices equal to those made by. the workers; (3) That these sacrifices will be for the period of the war emergency only; (4) That organised Labour will be given a voice in the administration of all war emergency measures directly affecting the workers. We therefore recommend that the Government be given the fullest possible support in the steps it is taking to organise the Dominion’s strength. There is no other course open to us, as the guardians of the rights of our children, and our children’s children, but to pledge ourselves to take all necessary steps to carry New Zealand’s war effort to victory.