DOMINION TOPICS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 127, 22 February 1941, Page 15

DOMINION TOPICS

Tlie Homo Guard. The recent announcement that I lie Home Guard is to he a uniformed service should have been followed by a clear statement of the functions and system of control of the organization, but for some reason these mill let’s are si ill left rat her indefinite. The HemeGuard in England is an auxiliary niiiil.'iry force, assigned definite duties in the defence scheme, and each unit as it conies into operalion is clearly under the command of the officer commanding the district. If that is not already the position in New Zealand it ought to be .so Eai'h unit ought to lie trained tot the particular task assigned to it. It ought to he made accustomed to discipline because without discipline any force becomes a danger to itself and others, and may quickly degenerate into a rabble. It is important, too, that the officers should be chosen wisely, because on them will depend the steadiness and eflicieiicy of the units, if ever they are called on to oppose a hostile force. '1 lie establishment of classes for tlie noncommissioned officers is an excellent move, which will directly link the Home Guard to tlie Army, and the association would lie appreciably strengthened it’ some of the non-coms, trained in the Army camps could lie lent to the volunteer organization. “Christchurch Star-Sun.”

The New Zealand Division. The formation of a division in the Middle East was interrupted through the new crisis i tithe war provided by the entry of Italy and the decision to divert the Second Echelon to Great Britain. Representation in the Mother Country, however. Is not without its compensations, particularly, we should imagine, in the estimation of the men who were carried on by their troopships to that gallant and delectable land. In the North African campaign men of the Dominion in the transport and signalling units have been able, to prove their mettle, their work having been the subject of special congratulations from General Sir Archibald Wavell, the comniauder-in-ehief. With that sense of achievement New Zealanders will have to be content in. the meantime. Nobody can doubt tliat when the time come s for action on a divisional scale all our men will perform their duty with a courage and efficiency on a par with those qualities as shown not only by their Australian neighbours, but also by tlie New Zealand units which have already been under fire. It must lie ixmembered with in-ide, also, that Dominion airmen, sailors .and forestry and railway workers have made a big impression on authorities competent to pass judgment on the value of wartime energy and resource.—Dunedin “Evening Star.”

Where Stands Mr. Lee? Till the time of his expulsion from the Labour Barty. Mr. Lee was commonly regarded as the leader of Labour’s “left wing,” and he himself has protested tliat his breach with ortho dox Labour was partly due to the Labour Government’s abandonment of ils Socialist programme. His book, “Socialism in New Zealand,” proclaims insistently that Hie gulf between Socialists and their opponents cannot be bridged. It is therefore a little astonishing to find Mr. Lee entertaining solemn doubts about the justice and the expediency of the present method of taxing industrial profits and advocating “some discretionary power” to remit death duties in cases where an industry passed to an heir. This change may mean tliat Mr. Lee is a sincere convert front his previous political opinions. On the other hand, it may mean simply that, as the leader of a new political party, he is more concerned to cast his net wide than to clarify his own political opinions.—• “The Press,” Christchurch.

Wages and Hours in Wartime. The Prime Minister has said plainly that a reduction in real wages and an extension of working hours are among the changes we must be prepared to accept this year. On the question of wages the Commonwealth Arbitration Court recently rejected an application for a higher wage after an exhaustive Inquiry and prolonged consideration of the factors involved. Both Australia and New Zealand have, in the past, taken as the basis of their prosperity the state of export ’income. Today our meat exports are likely to be seriously restricted, and we shall be lucky if we are able to avoid curtailment in other directions. Some people in New Zetrland have not yet fully awakened to the fact that there is a war on. and their attitude has a retarding effect. A great many, however,among the rank and file of workers are putting forward that extra effort which is necessary for victory, and the Government can confidently rely upon the’ir wholehearted support. The annual Labour Conference is approaching, and as the subject of hours and wages must be a most important topic in the discussions, the intervening time should be employed by leaders of the Labour movement in working toward complete unity and cooperation to meet the emergency.— “Auckland Star.”

New Zealand aud Australia, The decision of tlie Australian Government to send a delegation to New Zealand at an early dale to confer with the Dominion Government on mat let's of common interest arising out of me war, is one tliat should be cordially approved in tins country.. So far as actual defence needs are concerned, it i.s recognized that close co-ordination of effort already exists, in accordance tvd.li planning on the broadest Imperial basis. There must, however, be aspects ot production, both primary and mantifact uring, in respect of which the frequent exchange of views between tlie two dominions would be wholly beneficial. for the avoidance of overlapping and for tlie standardization, so far as that may lie desirable, of both method and product. Where shipping is affected or may itself affect tlie export effort of New Zealand and the Commonwealth, the problem i.s one that touches the capacity of the British Government to make cargo space available, bin nT that sphere there must also be scope for the careful assessment of requirements and the arrangement of schedules so that the maximum of use can lie made of tlie limited services now practicable between Australia and New Zealand sources of production, and British ports of unloading.— "Otago Daily Tinies.”

The Spenders. When the people of New Zealand learned seven months ago - that the total budget for this financial year was nearly £100,000,000—-the actual figure was £1)8,017,000 —attention was naturally fixed on the division of this sum into war aud non-war expenditure. Under tlie war heading tlie amount was £37,500,000, since raised to over £40,000,000, which compared with £61,000,000 for ordinary national and civil purposes. What surprised everyone most about these figures was not the size of the war account, which was, of course, what the nation as a whole regarded as necessary and Inevitable, but the fact that the estimate for ordinary budget expenditure was the highest ever reached. At a time when war wits making enormous demands upon tlie tax-paying powers of tlie people there was no indication of any effort by the Government to afford some measure of relief in the mounting burden; particularly there was no curtailment of the heavy outlay on new Government construction which had nothing whatever to do with the winning of the war. Activity on housing, public works and costly public buildings went merrily on.—" Auckland Star.”

Words—But Deeds? Ministers talk a great deal but accomplish very little. Do they think so poorly of the workers that they hesitate to ask of them the full service required of the workers’ sons and brothers and nephews—of the sailors, soldiers and airmen? Do they think New Zealand workers are poorer-spirit-ed than Britons, Canadians, Australians or South Africans? Ministers act as If they did, but they are mistaken. New Zealand workers are ready and willing and anxious to serve with their hands the lads tliat are risking life for them, their families, their homes and for their free way of life. If the Government will not realize this, if it will not strike the shackles off industry and organize and direct full industrial mobilization for total war and national security, if it lacks the ability and tlie courage to do those things, then it should abdicate in favour of a Government that will act in accordance with tlie manifest will aud willingness of the people. It should make way for an all-in effort inspired and directed by a Government of National Union. —"New Zealand Herald.”

Questions for the Government. For every £3 that New Zealand Is spending on national security it is spending £4/10/- on social security and civil services. The proportion seems altogether wrong. By way of contrast, it was reported that South Africa would this year spend no loss than £74,000,000 on the war effort, a figure Hurt is double the pre-war civil expenditure. In other words, South Africa Is devoting £2 out of every £3 to the prosecution of the war, while New Zealand considers that if she devotes 8/- in the pound of national expenditure to the war she is making an all-in effort. The same disparity is apparent in Mr. Nash’s figures of Stale borrowing. Of loans totalling more than £19,000,000,' only £7,000,000 is for war expenditure and the balance for housing, public works, and other civil needs. Mr, Nash rightly emphasizes that it is with goods and services that the cost ef the war must be paid. As he points out, with 56,000 men taken out of production by war service, those who are left behind must work harder if the ecomomy of the country is to be carried on. People will either have to make more goods or go short, ho says. That, of course, is elementary, but what are Mr. Nash and the Government going to do about it? Will they let the people go short or will they call upon them to work harder? It is for the Government to say.—-“Gisborne Herald.”