POLITICAL UNITY
ESSENTIAL TO FULL WAR EFFORT STATEMENT BY PREMIER. REPLY TO CRITICISMS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “The need for the maximum unity in our war effort at this critical and threatening hour is obvious to anyone who thinks at all,” said the Prime Minister. “The need was never greater, never more urgent. “Political unity in everything that pertains to our war effort as a whole and in every phase of it is an essential pre-condition of national unity,” Mr Fraser continued. . “Without war effort political unity there is no truly united nation; no complete singleminded unified common purpose to win; no united determination to withstand all shocks, all reverses, all temporary defeats even, and to push on with out contribution to victory. “The new War Administration has been established for the purpose of still further unifying the country in its war work and for embodying in administrative form that solidarity in our cause that all desire and that all our New Zealand people wish to have effectively implemented. By\ the war administrative work being shared by representatives of both the Government and Opposition parties, I believe that national unity in our contribution to the support of the cause of democracy and world freedom will be further promoted. A distribution of war administrative responsibility should, and I believe will, lead to even greater responsibility in our fine war effort which, under the direction of the War Cabinet and the Government generally has assumed a position and a proportion second to none anywhere else.
BEST ARRANGEMENT POSSIBLE. “It was with this end in view that the Leader of the Opposition and myself addressed ourselves to the problem of achieving the greatest amount of political unity possible which will enable Parliament, to effectively lead the nation. I feel that the best arrangement possible in the circumstances has been made. The War Administration, representing both Labour and National Parties, in co-operation with all Ministers, can successfully carry out the job of directing and leading the nation during the war years, and will do the job, with credit. “There appears to be some criticism by persons who believe that they are expected to criticise, who look upon criticism and usually hostile criticism, as their profession and one object in life, because a National Government has not been formed. The people of New Zealand know, whether supposedly informed critics know or not, that a National Government is not possible, and that any attempt to force the formation of a National Government would only result in disunity rather than unity. Should all efforts toward greater political unity in our war effort, upon which national unity in our war effort must depend, be abandoned because a National Government is not possible, or should those of us, who carry great responsibilities at the present critical hour of our country’s history, explore every means, examine every proposal, use every proposal, use every method of eliminating causes of discord and dissension, and of welding the nation together in our one great purpose of organising to the limit of our resources New Zealand’s contribution toward victory ’ “There was no hesitation in the attitude of the Returned Services’ Association and .though the association’s proposals have not been embodied in the new ministerial arrangement, the principle and purpose of its representations have been the basis of all negotiations,
and of the War Administration, which has now been agreed to. “There was no doubt in the minds of the Leader of the Opposition and myself as to our clear duty and responsibility to the people of New Zealand. It was to stand united, and to enable our respective parties to stand united, m our country’s cause. We have gone as far as it is possible to go in that direction, and we believe that the people of New Zealand as a whole do approve our efforts, and will give full support to the new War Administration. THE WAR CABINET. “As already announced, the War Administration will be composed of seven Government Ministers and six Opposition Ministers. The necessity for a smaller War Cabinet, whose members will be ready to meet every day—indeed, at a moment’s notice, as has been the practice of the War Cabinet since its formation—has been realised . This War Cabinet will be composed of the members of the formei’ War Cabinet the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, the Hon. F. Jones, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, the Hon. A. Hamilton, the Hon. W. Nash (Minister of Finance and present New Zealand Minister in Washington), who will resume his position in the War Cabinet when he returns to the Dominion) and myself —with the addition of Mr Holland.”
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 July 1942, Page 3
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778POLITICAL UNITY Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 July 1942, Page 3
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