The Press SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1941. Direction of War Effort

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23349, 7 June 1941, Page 8

The Press SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1941. Direction of War Effort

A resolution adopted by the annual conference of the South , Island Dairy Association urged upon the Government two measures for the furtherance of the Dominion's, war effort. .One was the formation of a “ truly national “ government,” released from party or political limitations. It is unnecessary to review- the arguments for this step, which have, in fact, been quite clearly stated by members of the Government itself. Its failure to find the courage to move from reason to action is one more indication of its need to be reinforced. The second part of the association’s resolution, however, called for the establishment of a council qualified to advise the Government upon the solution of the economic, financial, and other problems of the war and, generally, to assist it in securing “the maximum contribution and equal sacrifice of all sections.” This drives as straight to the heart of the matter as the demand for non-party government. At present, the war effort is in the effectual control of the party in office. It has arbitrarily attempted to separate domestic policy and war policy and has set up a War Cabinet, including members of the Opposition, whose powers are obviously limited by this unreal division. It has set up, also, a War Council, whose functions have never been distinct and have not been usefully demonstrated; and it has provided itseix with councils of J primary production, factory production, and industrial emergency, and a central advisory council ter co-ordinate all three. There is no. want of machinery. There is, in fact, too much. It is clear that some of it does not work at all. Even the pretence that it works has been abandoned. For the rest, the evidence of overlap, division, and uncertainty of functions and of excessive officialism is far plainer than any evidence of speed, economy, and purpose. The crying needs are two; to concentrate executive decision and power in the hands of the best administrators to be found, ready and able to yield party ends for the sake of war ends, and to simplify, strengthen, and speed the official machinery they control. Given “ truly national government,” the present War Cabinet and War Council, as such, would disappear. So would the several councils which confusedly divide the supervision of the economic war effort. But within the Ministry a new and fully competent War Cabinet wpuld be formed; and one of its members should certainly be a Minister for Production, who would supersede in their various fields and powers the present Ministers for Marketing, Agriculture, Industries and Commerce, and Supply. But he would require first-class assistance and advice. There, more than in any other respect, the demand pf the South Island Dairy Association for an expert economic body to advise and give administrative help is warranted. Strangely enough, at the end of February the''Prime Minister announced that he had been considering the appointment of an Economic Council, to “survey, advise on, and ‘‘ to some extent guide the productive and in- “ dustrial activities of the Dominion,” had mentioned'it to his colleagues in the Cabinet and the War Cabinet, and had put it to the Labour caucus; and he has never spoken of it again. It is probably no rash assumption that he realised, or was shown, that such a body could not be usefully added to the elaborate machinery of advice and control already in existence; and that he was not ready to make the drastic changes which would allow him to give his council its necessary scope and authority. But the time to make those changes is overdue. It is timidity of the most stupid and dangerous sort that delays them.