STARK REALITIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 May 1941, Page 2

STARK REALITIES

OF THE WAR SITUATION AWAKENING & EDUCATION NEEDED. R.S.A. CONFERENCE DISCUSSION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “The state of the country is so serious and dangerous that it amazes me that delegates can sit here tonight discussing the allocation of canteen funds at a few pence a head, when their brothers and sons are dying in Crete,” said Colonel H. Holderness, Hastings, at the, annual conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association in Wellington last night. This was during the discussion of a Christchurch proposal, to consider the holding of a Dedication to England day. “God alone knows what is happening to the New Zealand Division at this moment,” continued Colonel Holderness. “The first person who has made a speech of any use in New Zealand on the situation was Mr Menzies, and Mr Nash has told us that not five per cent of the people of New Zealand understand the seriousness of the war position. We have spent two days on tiddly-winking items that have nothing to do with winning the war. For God’s sake let us do something to see that there is a full war effort.” Mr W. E. Leadley, Christchurch, said that the conference could do no better than call attention to the position of the Empire. They had heard the address of Mr Menzies, who came from the seat of war, and he had made no bones about it. The Empire today stood in the direst peril, and the returned soldiers could not do too much to awaken the country to this. Dr. N. A. Foden, Wellington, said that something more radical than one day of commemoration and emotional appeal was needed. They wanted something continual and educative They were up against the fact that there had been a new generation since the last war, and those of it could, not visualise the position. The whole country wanted educating to the stark realities of the situation. It was decided that the council of the N.Z.R.S.A., realising the gravity of the situation, recommended all branches of the association to start a win-the-war effort by a national dedication day, on a date to be fixed by headquarters, and that thereafter local associations take all steps to continue this effort.