NOT WANTED

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21583, 20 November 1941, Page 6

NOT WANTED

CONSCRIPTION ISSUE AUSTRALIAN PATRIOTISM VIEWS OF PREMIER (United Press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyrl?nt (Received Nov. 20, 3.15 p.m.) CANBERRA. Nov. 20 The number of men serving in the Australian forces on land, sea and air on the voluntary principle is evidence that conscription is not required to invoke the patriotism of Australian men. This statement was made by the Prime Minister, Mr J. Curtin, when commenting on the advocacy of conscription by the Returned Soldiers’ League Federal conference. Mr Curtin added that the whole history of conscription in Australia had been marked by the increasing disunity of the nation, which was absolutely undesirable at any time and was bad for the conduct of the He was sure that it was the recognition of this as much as anything else which led the leaders of other parties in Parliament to indicate that conscription would not be invoked for overseas service. Those who sought to have a united nation would do well to avoid the introduction of issues which, by splitting Australia, weakened Australia. Manpower and Wealth The Returned Soldiers’ League, at the Federal conference at Brisbane, decided on a campaign for conscription throughout Australia. The league war.ts Australia to conscript all industries, manpower and wealth immediately. A move planned by some returned soldier members of the Opposition in the Senate to force the Government’s hand on the conscription of manpower for overseas service is expected in Canberra ir. the next few days. It is expected that an attempt will be made to amend the National Security Act by deleting the clause which forbids the Government to impose compulsory service for overseas. The Opposition has a majority in the Senate, but if the amendment is passed there it will have to go to the House of Representatives, where the Government’s majority is the two Independents, Messrs J. Wilson and A. W. Coles. South Australia has formed an Australian War Service League, the aims of which are the conscription of manpower, womanpower, wealth and all other resources. The Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, today condemned conscription, which he said would make for disunity in the Commonwealth. Conscription was impracticable, and it would be abhorrent to Australians to conscript men for the Navy and Air Force. The number of men serving voluntarily on the land, sea and in the air was evidence that conscription was not necessary. Dispute Over New Gun

Army “red tape.” it is claimed, is seriously delaying the production of the Owen sub-machine gun. A dispute is reported to have arisen between the inventor and the ordnance section of the army, which had demanded changes in the construction of the gun. Mr Owen states that neither he nor the manufacturers are disposed to accept the modifications sought by the army, as these would defeat the real purpose and value of the Owen gun. The Minister of the Army, Mr Forde, has convened a conference of the parties in Melbourne on Monday to try to compose their differences. Premier Answers Criticism The Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, revealed himself at variance with General Blame. He said: “I cannot share the illusion that what happened in other conutries cannot happen here.” He announced that the Commonwealth Government intended to take no risks and would this week allocate £125,000 to all States for air raid precautions. This constituted the second instalment of the £500,000 promised by the last Government. CHANGES MADE BROADCASTING CORPORATION (United Press as.u.—Elot. Tel. Copyright) (Received Nov. 20, 3.15 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 19 A number of changes were made in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s organisation after sending birthday greetings to the King of Italy. These, it is believed, are to prevent such “untoward” happenings in the future. SECRET WEAPON GENERAL UDETS’ EXPERIMENT (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Nov. 20, 3.15 p.m.) STOCKHOLM, Nov. 19 The Tidningen’s Berlin correspondent says the secret weapon with which General Udet, the German air ace, was experimenting before his death was connected with stratosphere flying. SHIPS ON SANDS RESCUE OF 88 MEN (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, Nov. 18 The rescue by the Cromer lifeboat of 88 men from ships ashore on the sands has been recognised by the award of the British Empire Medal to Coxswain H. G. Blogg, for courage and resolution. A call was received for the lifeboat to help six ships on the sands. ! Eighteen minutes later the boat was launched. It was blowing a gale with hard squalls of wind and rain’ and the tide soon began to ebb. When the ships were reached, the coxswain j took his boat over the submerged '■ deck of the first ship again and i again, bumping heavily, until the ! wnole surviving crew of 16 men had j been hauled aboard from the bridge. I Next he went alongside another snip and held his boat there until 31 men had been rescued. These 47 men were then taken to a destroyer.

The third ship had only her bridge above water. Coxswain Blogg drove his boat over the ship's bulwarks, and held her against the bridge until all her surviving crew of 19 men had got on board. From the fourth ship 22 men were rescued.

The survivors from the other ship were saved by the whaler of a war ship, and by a second lifeboat.