CLOSURE APPLIED

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 123, 19 February 1944, Page 7

CLOSURE APPLIED

Australian Censure Motion i Lost CANBERRA, February 17. A censure motion moved in the House of Representatives by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Menzies, was defeated by 44 votes to 24, after the Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin, had applied the closure amid a clamour of disapproval. Two Independents, Messr-. Coles and Wilson, who have consistently voted with the Government, today supported the Opposition. Moving his motion, Mr. Menzies referred to what he described as “a scandalous series of allegations” made by tin Minister of Transport, Mr. Ward. “Mr. Ward’s speech.” continued Mr. Menzies, “means taht when this country went into the war with Britain it was not to defend free institutions or to honour the pledge to Poland, but. because they thought that Germany, after- dealing with Poland would turn west, and that we could tear up our pledge to Poland. In other words, Mr. Ward implied that Britain ami France would have been prepared to quit in the face of the greatest responsibility they have ever had.” Referring to Mr. Ward’s remarks about the natives in Malaya, Mr. Menzies said it was a bitter sneer at British colonial administration at a time when the problems of India and the eastern peoples under Japanese control were de’icate enough. In reply, Mr. Curtin said he regarded the incident as closed when Mr. Wards letter made it clear that he had intended no adverse criticism of the British o: any other Allied Government. .“If everything in the speech represented Mr Ward’s opinion, he would not be in tn* Government today. He would not want to be,” said Mr. Curtin. The leader of the Country Party, Mr Fadden, said he was disgusted, by the complacent attitude with which Mr. Curtin had dealt with the matter.