JAPANESE WAR CRIMES TRIAL

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25300, 27 September 1947, Page 10

JAPANESE WAR CRIMES TRIAL

«PROCEEDINGS A FARCE ” (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, September 26. Claiming that the whole war crimes trial proceedings in Japan had become a farce, Mr J. T. Watts (Opposition, St. Albans), in the House of Representatives to-day sought a statement about the progress of the proceedings. T think we are entitled to as much information as we can get,” he said “The trials have been going on now for more than two years, and the whole thing has become a farce.” The purpose of the trials had surely been to prove that speedy justice would be meted out, he added. “I suggest that the Government should give the House and the country some information of these trials.” Mr Watts also claimed that it had become quite clear that Russia did not want a New Zealand representative, because if it had wanted one there would not have been the difficulties there had been about accommodation and furnishings, nor would New Zealand have been required to feed its representatives.

VOLUNTEER FIREMEN (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 26. In spite of the fact that a suggestion to join the union was rejected by 2281 votes to 51 in a New Zealandwide ballot, t the national executive of the Federation of Labour had ruled that all firemen should become members of the union, said Mr E. B. Corbett (Opposition, Egmont) in the House of Representatives this morning, when, in association with Mr E. P. Aderman (Opposition, New Plymouth), he asked the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W E. Parry) to take such action as was necessary to prevent compulsion being applied to volunteer fire brigade employees to join the Firemen’s Union