FEDERAL PARTIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 July 1941, Page 5

FEDERAL PARTIES

ATMOSPHERE OF TENSION CRITICISM OF PRIME MINISTER. AND GOVERNMENT WAR EFFORT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) CANBERRA, July 3. The Federal political atmosphere at present is extremely tense by reason of Labour’s ever-increasing criticism of the Prime Minister and the Government’s war effort. Mr Beasley, who is a member of the Advisory War Council, is the Government's most consistent and caustic critic. His latest complaint in the House of Representatives tonight concerned the equipment of the Australian soldiers in Greece and Crete. He alleged that the Australian Government was grossly misled by the British Government in this connection. Further, he urged that the British Government should be told that Australian troops should not be used as stopgaps.

He deprecated the growing tendency to place Mr Churchill on too high ( a pedestal and suggested that a new line should be taken. He attacked the persons in control of munitions production and Mr Menzies’ latest appointment of a certain big business representative to the Director-Generalship of Supply. He contended: “Until we remove these men from authority the workers will always suspect there is gold-dig-ging.”

Mr Beasley, in the course of his condemnation in regard to the lack of proper equipment for the troops abroad, quoted Mr Fraser’s remarks of assurance to the New Zealand troops in Cairo, also Brigadier Inglis on the same subject. Another New South Wales Labourite, Mr Rosevear, attacked Mr Menzies personally, who, he said, had failed to tell Parliament since his return from London anything it did not already know. The farcical secret session of Parliament recently with its air of mystery had one specific pur-pose—-to build up the Prime Minister’s reputation which had sunk low in political estimation.

ARMY MINISTER’S REPLY. The Minister of the Army (Mr P. C. Spender) in reply said Australian infantry when it entered Greece was adequately and properly equipped and its resistance in Greece and Crete had the effect of delaying Germany’s plans in Syria and Iraq. “We are now in a splendid position in the Middle East, which is vital to the Empire. The aircraft position has rapidly improved, but I have to admit that the air support in Greece was inadequate.” Mr Spender defended the business men placed in charge ol munitions supply who had been chosen for their special ability and who had done great work to date. He could not agree with the Opposition taunt that these men were unable to plaao patriotism above self. Therefore it was quite unfair and unworthy to suggest anything sinister in their service to the Commonwealth.

CENSORSHIP BLUNDER. Mr Eeaseley today complained to the Prime Minister that the major portion of the foregoing debate had been censored without justification. Mr Menzies admitted that somebody had blundered by issuing a blanket censorship order. He promised to make immediate inquiries as to how it came about. A South Australian (Mr Cameron) interjected: “This is another extreme example of blundering on the part of the censorship, which in Australia is founded on entirely wrong principles.”