Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1942. POLITICS AND THE WAR EFFORT.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 October 1942, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1942. POLITICS AND THE WAR EFFORT.

JN the course of the no-confidence debate in. the House of Representatives it, lias been made clear that sharp divisions ol: party and personal opinion exist, not only on the handling’ 01. the Waikato mining strike, but on other questions as well—notably those of the censorship and of the scrutiny of war expenditure with a view to enforcing economy where it is practicable. Some of the speeches made on both sides of the House have been marked by what has every appearance of being a strong sense of personal grievance. It has to be admitted that our politicians have been much Jess successful than some other sections of the community—above all our fighting forces —in developing the team spirit.

At an objective view it may appear that at least a great deal of what has now become more or less acute contention might have been prevented by better methods of consultation and cooperative 'working, particularly in the War Administration from which the Leader of the Opposition and three of his colleagues have withdrawn.

It is obvious that a number of the questions debated in the House would in normal times have to be fought out in the country by way of an appeal to the electors. It is not less clear, however, that an election in the present extremely critical period of the war would be a crime. The attitude of the people of the Dominion towards every broad issue raised by the war is defined so unmistakably that there can be no excuse for our political authorities failing, in. these grim days to give the lead that is needed. This by no means implies condonation either of the action of the Waikato miners in striking or of the methods and conditions by and in which that strike was settled by the Government. It does imply, however, that in. Parliament and in the country everything else should be subordinated to concentration on the development of the most powerful, and effective war effort of which we are capable. Loyalty to the country and to the cause for which it stands demands that other issues even of genuine controversy should be set aside for the time being.

The no-confidence debate in. the House has served its best purpose in giving scope for the ventilation of questions which bear definitely and directly on the development of the war effort. It may be hoped, for example, that as a result and outcome of what has already been said in Parliament the need will be recognised of modifying and amending the censorship methods at present in force in this country. The need of action in this direction certainly may be expected to become more and more apparent in the extent to which the facts of existing censorship practice are brought out and made generally known. As Mr Coates said last evening, the only really important purpose of a war time censorship is to prevent the publication and disclosure of facts which would be of value to the enemy. So far as precautions in this category are concerned there is no room for difference of opinion, but in the extent to which it stifles or hampers legitimate criticsm, for example of the management and direction of the war effort, the censorship does much more to weaken the country in which it is allowed to operate than to withhold information from the enemy.

Some measure of agreement .fortunately appears to exist even between the leaders of the opposed parties in. the House of Representatives on the need 'for a more effective scrutiny of war expenditure with a view to settling higher standards not only of economy, but of efficiency. It is not at alt remarkable that the development at short notice of an immense war organisation and of a correspondingly immense expenditure of public money should have involved the adoption of rough and ready methods and more or less serious waste. .It is certainly not necessary, however, that these conditions should he allowed to continue unmodified. There is need and room for a careful, and methodical examination, not only of the details of war expenditure, but from the broadest standpoint of the use of our national resources—above ail our human resources. Much that relates to the organisation and management of military camps .• not least the conditions that apply to the training of our youngest soldiers, the lads who are called up for military service at the age of 18—may most profitably he brought under review.