OUR WAR EFFORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 January 1942, Page 3

OUR WAR EFFORT

OPPOSITION LEADER & WAR CABINET LENGTHY MEMORANDUM PRESENTED. PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION. (By Telegraph—Pi-ess- Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Following his recent correspondence with the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, attended a meeting of the War Cabinet yesterday at the invitation of Mr Fraser and placed before it a comprehensive memorandum dealing with various aspects of the war effort. When asked subsequently if the memorandum could be published, Mr Holland said that at the request of the Prime Minister he had agreed to withhold publication for a few days to enable members of the Wai’ Cabinet to have an opportunity of considering it. The Prime Minister said last night that if any of Mr Holland’s proposals would improve our war effort, even in the smallest degree, then they would be adopted. Mr Holland said in an interview last evening that he had completed his memorandum, which covered a wide range of subjects and ran into 15 pages of typewritten foolscap paper. He had presented it to the Prime Minister himself yesterday morning, and at his request had attended a meeting of members of the War Cabinet at which the matters he had raised were discussed with them for two and a half hours. The Prime Minister, said Mr Holland, had expressed pleasure at the opportunity of discussing his memorandum with him, and had thanked him on behalf/of the War Cabinet and the Government for the proposals he had submitted and the comments offered. “I submitted concrete proposals,’ said Mr Holland, “with the object of bringing about a much more effective war effort in this country.” Mr Holland expressed appreciation of the manner in which he had been received by the Prime Minister and the War Cabinet. He hoped that his representations would result in an improvement in a number of directions where public apprehension had been expressed. STATEMENT BY PREMIER READINESS TO CONSIDER SUGGESTIONS. WELLINGTON, This Day. “If any of the proposals contained in Mr Holland’s memorandum will improve our war effort even in the smallest degree, they will be adopted,” said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when referring in an interview to the memorandum submitted to the War Cabinet by the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Fraser added that till there had been an examination and analysis of the memorandum it was not possible to say how much of practical utility it contained.

“Mr Holland accepted my invitation to meet the Wai- Cabinet and we had a discussion on some of the points in his memorandum,” said Mr Fraser. “Many of the matters raised will, of course, have to be submitted to the service chiefs and others in positions of responsibility for their comments before the War Cabinet can give an opinion on them. In these circumstances it is necessary that the publication of the memortindum should be postponed till those concerned .with the administration of the various defence operations are consulted and their opinions obtained.

“Mr Holland made certain suggestions, the merits and practicability of which will be closely examined. The discussion at the War Cabinet was of a most helpful nature, and I personally expressed by indebtedness to Mr Holland for his observations and his general report.”