NEXT TWELVE MONTHS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 September 1942, Page 2

NEXT TWELVE MONTHS

MOST CRITICAL PERIOD

OF WAR

PRIME MINISTER’S OPINION.

POSITION STILL SERIOUS IN PACIFIC.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day,

The opinion that the position in the Pacific, in the Solomons and elsewhere was such that the forces of the United Nations must be kept strengthened in every possible way was expressed yesterday by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, on his return to Wellington from the United States.. It was obvious, he said, that the situation in the Pacific at present was serious. It was not considered adequate simply to hold the enemy in the Pacific. The United Nations must advance. “I think we shall have to steel ourselves for the next twelve months,” said Mr Fraser. “That seems a long time, but I think it will cover the most critical period of the ■ war. The United States and the other United Nations are getting into their full stride of production, and great as it is at the moment, it will be even more colossal during the coming year.” Mr Fraser said that the United States was in the war just like Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada to fight and fight again, and to win. The United States was experiencing production problems similar to those which had to be faced in New Zealand, only on a much greater scale. Organisations in America were working to full capacity, but they were experiencing an insufficiency of raw materials. It was even difficult to absorb unemployed in some of the industries. In some cases the unemployed were not in the areas where the industries were established, and even if they were transferred they were not always fit for the particular job. He had had a long and interesting talk with Mr Donald Nelson, United States war production chief. He also saw Mr William Green of the American Federation of Labour, and Mr Phillip Murray of the C. 1.0., and members of their national council, with whom he discussed the .war situation. The views of both organisations were that industry should be kept going without any interruption. They looked on industrial interruption as playing the game of the enemy. But in spite of the attitude of the organisations there were recurring troubles, just as there were in this country.

Mr Fraser was accompanied from Auckland by the Minister of Supply and Munitions, Mr Sullivan, and those who met him at the railway station on the arrival of the main trunk express in Wellington yesterday included the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Barclay, Mr Raymond Cox, American Charge d’Affaires, and Captain Heathcote Helmore, representing the Governor-General. Later Mr Fraser was welcomed back to the Dominion at a morning tea reception at Parliament House. Besides Ministers of the Crown and members of the Government party, this was attended by representatives of the three Services and of overseas countries,