ATTITUDE TO DEFENCE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22465, 28 July 1938, Page 15

ATTITUDE TO DEFENCE

■ ♦ MINISTER’S SUGGESTION TO RETURNED SOLDIERS effect of social security PROPOSALS (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, July 27. The suggestion that the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Conference should not pass remits dealing with defence without fully considering the Government’s attitude was made by the Minister for Defence (the Hon, F. Jones) when speaking at the opening of the conference to-day. Mr Jones said he had noticed that there were remits on the order paper dealing with defence, and he regretted that he had not time io discuss them. He commended to the notice of the conference an interview given to the press by Air Marshal Sir Edward Ellington, whose opinion in outlining the scale of attack New Zealand would be subjected to was most valuable. Mr Jones said that the conference should then consider the statement he had made recently at Dargaville and see what the Government was doing to meet the scale of attack as set out by Sir Edward Ellington. The Government did not mind criticism, and no body was better fitted to criticise that those who served in'the last war; but he wanted them to weigh up everything before passing the remits. The Minister also said lhat the Government’s social security proposals would remove a great deal of hardship especially among returned soldiers’. The Government was anxious to do (he r.ght thing.