WAR EFFORT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 12, 15 January 1940, Page 3

WAR EFFORT.

BRITISH ATTITUDE.

WONDERFUL ORGAHISMIOH.

ATOKLAKDEHS' IMPRESSIONS.

The outlook of the people of Great Britain under war conditions and their confidence as to the final outcome of hostilities, was the subject of comment this morning by Mr. N. M. Speer, secretary, and Mr. E. Hutchison, supply engineer to the Auckland Electric Power Board, who have returned from a trip overseas on behalf of the board.

The people of England are very confident ae to what the result of the war will be, and at the time we left on November 18 laet there wae a feeling that hostilities might end in a comparatively short period," said Mr. Speer. 'However, I rather fancy that the Finnish-Russian hostilities are going to prolong matters. The organisation in Kngland in connection with the war is wonderful. I saw the evacuation of the children from London, and it was a magnificent piece of organisation that went oft" without a hitch. Every department of the war activities eeetned to be thoroughly organised and to be going forward smoothly. Conditions for the eighteen months or so prior to the war were so difficult, with crisis following crisis, that the people of Britain came to realise that the matter had to be set-tied once and for all. The result is that there is determination everywhere to see the war through to the finish." Messrs. Speer and Hutchison had quite an uneventful voyage home. They left England on November IS last, at the time the indiscriminate laying of mines by the Nazis began. Indeed, Mr. Speer explained that when travelling down the Channel they passed several vessels which next day were reported as having been mined. While conditions of travel ■were not of the most pleasant owing to the "black-out" at night, there was no undue delay on their return trip. One thing that impressed Mr. Speer greatly was the wonderful organisation of naval and shipping authorities to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers on the seas. Every possible precaution, he said, was taken in this respect. Britain was at war a week after they arrived, said Mr. Hutchison, and only a complete backdown by the Nazis could have averted it, ae the unsettled conditions of the paet few years had made living and business conditions intolerable in Britain, and the public were determined to put up with it no longer. The quiet, determined way the country set about the war was most impressive, he said. There was no hysteria or threats of what would be done; just dogged determination to get on with a nasty job and complete it, no matter what the cost in time or money. Conscription, coupled with the organisation built up in the past year, had paved the way for a smooth change to war conditions. It was most impressive and inspiring when travelling in England and Scotland to be continually coming across evidence of the completeness of the planning and working of Britain's war activities, concluded Mr. Hutchison.