EXTRA BALLOT PAPER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 152, 29 June 1945, Page 8

EXTRA BALLOT PAPER

DUNEDIN NORTH BY-ELECTION TO TEST PUBLIC FEELING Parliamentary Reporter. WELLINGTON, this day. "I suggest the likelihood is that many in defaulters' detention camps will seize the opportunity now presented of coming forward and declaring that they are of contrite heart," said Mr. F. W. Doidge (Nat., Tauranga), speaking in the House of Representatives last night in the debate on military defaulters. The question arose as to the sincerity of those men, said Mr. Doidge. Their cases in many instances were heard several years ago. Many of the men had been arrogant and insulting in their attitude when they came before Armed Forbes Appeal Boards. Mr. Doidge suggested that clearly there was to be a wholesale evacuation of detention camps. That was to be done before members of the forces and prisoners of war returned home. The Minister of Justice had let the cat out of the bag when he said that doubtless, if the numbers were reduced, there would be no need for all camps and that it was probably correct that some of the camps would no longer be required. What made the Minister so confident that camps were to be closed? What else but a cut-and-dried plan for wholesale releases?

Mr. Doidge supported the suggestion by Mr. Holland that, as a plebiscite could not be taken, an extra ballot paper could be issued in the coming Dunedin North byelection to test the feelings of the electors in that constituency on the Government's- decision regarding military defaulters.

Mr. Doidge added that he thought the R.S.A. was correct in its reference to the Government's action as "a cold-blooded betrayal of the men and women overseas."