The Bay of Plenty Times TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1942 HOLIDAYS AND WAR EFFORT

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13770, 13 October 1942, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Times TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1942 HOLIDAYS AND WAR EFFORT

There is a great lack of consistency on the part of politicians and others in respect of the country's war effort. The Hon. J. U. Coates, who has been trying very hard to justify his connection with the Waikato coal strike settlement, has stated that the remission of the sentence of imprisonment on the coal strikers was imperative for the safety of the public. But, in his statement, Mr Coates evades the real issue. It is not the suspension ot the sentence that the people are concerned about—they are amazed at the prompt capitulation of the authorities to the demands of the strikers lhe mine manager at the Pukemiro mine offered to sumbit the dispute to the Disputes Committee, which the strikers ignored. The dispute was over a matter of wages, and the whole question was whether the strikers were justified in their demand or whether the mine manager was justified in refusing the demand of the strikers, it was purely a question of legality and could have been easily settled had the law of the country been observed. The strikers tacitly acknowledged that they were in the wrong by drawing a red herring across the scent. They demanded that the State should assume control of the mines, and the authorities promptly acceded to this request. The suspension of the sentence and the resumption ot work followed. The dispute was not in respect of the management of the mines, but a dispute about wages. It is. this yielding to the strikers, and dislodging private control of the mines, that has raised the ire of the people. But to return to the problem of the country's war effort we ask what is it.' What does it involve? The basis of our war effort is, or should be, production, and food and raw material production in particular. Food production is the job of the farmers and while they are doing their best they have to contend with almost insuperable difficulties. For example, the time for shearing the sheep has arrived, and there is a lack of shearers to do the job. There are, of course, other war goods produced in the factories, and the continuation of output depends upon the continuation of work. And we may reasonably assume that the safety of the people depends upon the continuation of work in the Avar factories. In England and the United States work is proceeding 24 hours a day for seven days a week, so that even the sanctity of Sunday has to be ignored in the face of the war emergency. The war effort in New Zealand does not go as far as that, in fact it goes a very limited distance, and depends upon what the workers ,want. It is intended that Labour Day shall be observed as a holiday, which means that war production will be at a standstill on that day. Surely this is trifling with the country's war effort. This observance of holidays in war-time is beyond comprehension. We are told by some that Ave are fighting for our existence, that the enemy is practically knocking at our back door, and that this is a time of serious emergency, and yet Ave keep holidays. If there is any real adnger to New Zealand then that danger is due to the Japanese being in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Rabaul, and the latest news from Australia is that the Japanese are being kicked out of New Guinea, and that being so, the Japanese menace to NeAv Zealand is becoming less serious. It was certainly never very great. The tendency in New Zealand is for holiday making. Anzac Day, Avhich is a sacred day of remembrance is a fixed holiday. It must be observed on April 25 and on no other day. Next year Anzac Day falls on Sunday, and the following day is Easter Monday, so that Anzac Day and Easter Sunday fall on the same day, and therefore there is no holiday. But the Arbitration Court in one award has made up for the loss of Anzac Day as a holiday by granting a holiday on April 27. Is the Arbitration Court justified in this ?