Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1942. AUSTRALIAN DEMANDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 January 1942, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1942. AUSTRALIAN DEMANDS

— MESSAGE from Melbourne, which appeared yesterday, stated that l\lr Churchill had told the Australian Government that Australifi’s request for additional war supplies and the creation of an Imperial War Cabinet and a Pacific Council will receive the immediate and careful consideration of the British Government. This, no doubt, is an assurance that the case stated by the Federal. Prime Minister (Mr Curtin) for conceding to Australia a larger voice in the direction of the. ivar in the Pacific will be given fair and full consideration. It does not necessarily mean, however, that Australia will get all that she is asking for.

The truth seems to be that an element, of confusion enters into the ideas of the Australian Government ivith regard to the direction of the war in the Pacific and also into the demands, or requests, that Air Curtin has advanced. This, of course, does not apply to the request, that additional war supplies should be sent into the Pacific. All concerned no doubt are agreed that fighting aircraft and ships and Avar supplies of every kind should be thrown, into the scale against Japan as rapidly and in as great a volume as the vital demands of other Avar theatres Avill permit. It has been made clear in discussion over an extended period, hoAvcver, that there are apparently insuperable obstacles to the constitution of an Empire War Cabinet Avorthy of the name —not that this need of necessity hinder an occasional meeting of Empire Prime Ministers in London —and similar difficulties probably Avould arise over the establishment of a Pacific War Council.

Apart from the fact that in recent times an Empire War Cabinet has been proposed and favoured only by Australia, the main objection to setting up a body of this kind is that inevitably it would be something of a sham. A Cabinet is an executive responsible to a Parliament. An Empire War Cabinet, hoAvever, Avould be responsible, not to one Parliament, but to five or more. It might easily happen that the actions of the Empire Cabinet Avould be approved by some of these Parliaments and disapproved by others.

The measure of effective unity the countries of the Empire can attain eA'idently must depend on the extent to Avhich a number of autonomous governments are able, in consultation and discussion, to reach Avorking agreement. It goes Avithout saying that anything that can be done to improve the machinery of consultation ought to be approved unreservedly. It seems hardly possible to do more than this, hoAvever, unless Ave are prepared to constitute an Imperial Parliament, to Avhich the Empire Cabinet Avould be responsible. Analogous considerations appear to apply to the constitution of a Pacific AVar Council—an enlargement, presumably of the Allied Far Eastern War Council Avhich Avas set up recently by the United States, Britain and China. This council is essentially a military body, though the Australian Minister in Chungking, Sir Frederic Eggleston, had a part in its preliminary proceedings. In constituting a Pacific War Council of broader scope, account Avould have to be taken of obligations and responsibilities as Avell as of needs. That veteran Australian statesman, Mr AV. M. Hughes, agreed, in a recent statement, that Australia’s voice should be heard in the councils formulating Pacific defence policy, but pointed out that no policy could go further than the force available to give effect to it. While Australia enjoyed the same status as Britain as a member of the British Commonwealth (Mr Hughes added), Australia was not of the same stature. In all discussions the defence of the Empire should be regarded as a whole problem. The British Press, one of yesterday’s cablegrams reported, “is leading public opinion in support, of Australia’s case,” but it may be doubted Avhether much Avill come in the immediate future of Air Curtin’s Imperial Cabinet and Pacific War Council proposals. The recpiest that as much Avar material as possible should be supplied for use against Japan is, as has been said, in an entirely different category.