TREMENDOUS EFFORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 May 1941, Page 6

TREMENDOUS EFFORT

NEEDED TO WIN WAR ENORMOUS POWER OF NAZIS. EMPHASISED BY MR MENZIES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, This Day. Germany had been preparing for years for war and amassing weapons of great qaulity and in enormous quantity, the Australian Prime Minister (Mr R. G. Menzies) said in his speech at the State dinner last night. The British went along comforting themselves with the idea that something would happen and concentrating their attention on raising general standards, but suddenly they found themselves confronted by an enemy so immensely superior in machine power that he had inflicted defeat after defeat and had not finished yet. Such an enemy would not be defeated by saying we had a just cause, nor by comforting ourselves by saying that we should muddle through. “I denounce this nonsense about muddling through,” Mr Menzies said. “You will never muddle through to victory against Germany in this war. Not a scrap of individual comfort or standard of living matter's a hoot until we have won this war. If we have to work ourselves to the bone to produce tanks, guns and aircraft, let us give up argument and work ourselves to the bone."

The enemy already sat astride Europe and tomorrow might sit astride half the world. Mr Menzies added. He had gathered up a great army of skilled workers, many of them in France. “I met General de Gaulle several times in England and formed the most profound respect lor his character and cutlook.” Mr -Menzies continued, “but rance today presents perhaps the supreme tragedy of history. She is governed largely by those who have preferred the power, and, as they see it, the security of German authority to the individuality for which France stood. I believe in France because I believe in the spirit of the French people. Yet Frenchmen in unoccupied France today must work to live and the produce of their work is available to Germany.” Britain and the Dominions, aided by the untapped resources of America could out-machine the foe, said Mr Menzies, but how long would it take? Time was the essence of the contract. “We want a kind of single purpose league throughout the world,” he declared. “We must make up our minds that there is one job in hand and one only. If every man. woman and child devotes every ounce to winning the War. it will be enough, but nothing less will do.”