LOOKING FOR THE FACTS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 271, 11 August 1943, Page 4

LOOKING FOR THE FACTS

Public opinion, which has expressed itself critically on the question of the conduct—and character —of defaulters’ detention camps, is unlikely to be satisfied with the most recent ministerial defence of the Government’s system. In the House of Representatives last week the Minister of Justice (Mr. Mason), referring to the administration of the camps at Shannon, said “it was obvious” that published communications on the subject of detention camps “had been part of a campaign to gain release for the defaulters in detention.” This is a strange misinterpretation of public feeling. While there may be a few individuals or groups interested for private or ‘political reasons in obtaining the release of defaulters, the concern of the great majority of people is on the score that men who have refused to serve their country have been treated with a delicacy of consideration which has been plainly unwarranted and is wholly unfair to the tens of thousands of citizens who have faced the sacrifices entailed by war.

Not only have taxpayers been put to the expense of building and maintaining special defaulters’ camps, the economic usefulness of which —notwithstanding the Minister’s sweeping assurances—still remains to be proved; but, in addition, the Regulations provide for the release of defaulters, in certain circumstances, at ministerial discretion. The extent to which this power has been exercised should be made known As for Mr. Mason’s suggestion that complaints concerning the conduct of certain camps should be ignored because they came from disgruntled ex-employees who were dismissed or “permitted to resign,” many people may recall that in March last a number of very specific and disquieting charges were made by an ex-overseer who stated that he had resigned as a result of “an increasing sense of the futility of the whole scheme.” These charges have never been convincingly answered. The people have simply been told in more or less bald terms that all criticism of the camps is either false or prejudiced, and that the camp system is eminently praiseworthy. This ex parte defence, unsupported by evidence, is not enough and will not allay public disquiet, any more than the decision to withhold from defaulters the right to vote in the coming general elections will convince the people that the Government intends to protect exservicemen and the community generally from the electoral and political influences of this group of social malcontents in the difficult post-war period. The time has come for a much clearer definition by the Government of its intentions in respect to the future privileges of defaulters. In addition the camp system should be independently investigated, and its results set out factually. Furthermore, an accounting should be given of the action taken in respect of defaulters who may at various times have applied for release. All this information is part—and an important part —of the general knowledge of national administration which should be made available to electors in clear-cut and reliable form between now and September 25.