WIN THE WAR

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21209, 4 September 1940, Page 8

WIN THE WAR

POLICY IN AUSTRALIA i THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS! | STATEMENT BY PREMIER j (United Pre-ss Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) MELBOURNE, Sept. 3 Delivering a joint election policy speech for the United Australia and the United Country Parties at Camberwell last night, the Prime Minis- ! ter, Mr R. G. Menzies, asked for a 1 mandate for an all-in war effort by a new and invigorated Parliament, j He said that nothing less than a I clear and unambiguous authority to j fight on and win the war was ex- j pected by the Government. The issue for the people, therefore, ! was whether the outgoing Govern- ] meat was to be again organised to i carry on the war along the present j lines, or whether authority was to be j handed to a party or group of j parties largely inexperienced in ad- j ministration with mixed ideas about the war and confused, ever-chang-ing policies in relation to its attack. The Australian people must decide ! whether they could afford to entrust ; their destinies to any such party in , the present hour of crisis. Government’s War Effort On the other hand, the people knew perfectly well where his Government stood and the magnitude, extent and character of its war effort, and the repeated, futile attempts to establish a National Government of a type functioning in Britain and New Zealand. Mr Menzies related the negotiations with the Leader of the Opposition, , Mr J. Curtin, and repeated his offer to stand aside if it could be established that his leadership was in the way of a National Government. He was quite certain that was not the case. Nevertheless, he had an instinctive feeling that sooner or later all parties in the Federal Parliament would forget they were parties, and, along with all loyal Australians, work for one objective. ! The Government’s war policy in the future would, as in the past, cover the organisation and mobilisation of the whole of the Commonwealth resources, calling for maximum individual sacrifice. The Government was determined to do everything possible to keep Australia safe and develop sea and land power and, subject to and consistent with ! the proper discharge of that obligaj tion, make such contributions as it could to the safety of the sister [ Dominion, New Zealand. A Holy War I The Government would continue | to make a substantial contribution to I the war effort of Britain, requiring ' the employment of private credit resources to the utmost, and much Government control and prevention of profiteering. “ This,” declared Mr Menzies, “is a holy war and we must all be its crusaders.” Mr Menzies outlined the Government’s war activities and its aims if returned to power. He said the Government had raised 130,0b0 men for the Australian Imperial Force, many thousands for the Navy and Air Force, and had established and maintained a large home defence army of nearly 100,000. The Government had created camps in all parts of the Commonwealth, and otherwise had vastly expanded the military machine. It had embarked on large-scale shipbuilding, brought to fruition the manufacture of aircraft, and had drawn heavily upon the credit of the nation, involving equality of sacrifice, in spite of which prices of commodities had risen only the merest fraction. Every effort was being made through the Prices Control Commissioner to prevent exploitation of ; consumers. The maximum emj ployment was being given by transI fer from civil occupations to war j needs. Aid to Farmers j All possible aid was being ex- | tended to primary industries, thanks jto the British Government’s bulk ! purchases to the wheat pool, and to i the facilities made available in Ausj tralia between the banks for prompt payments to producers. Mr Menzies announced that the Government intended to acquire the next Australian wheat harvest, making advances upon it without delay. The Prime Minister acknowledged the magnificent way the trade unions had ranged themselves behind the war effort, and also the unstinted help of voluntary workers throughout Australia. He emphasised the tremendous expansion of production of munitions of war and equipment and a corresponding increase of employment. New Social Order Mr W. Hughes said his party was opposed to the despatch of troops abroad. It was also opposed to a National Government and stood for a new social order, which provided for the : social ownership of the means of proi duction. I He assailed Mr Curtin, whom he I described as “ arch-apologist ” for , the Menzies Government.