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Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 14, 11 October 1944, Page 6

Mr. Churchill’s appearance in Moscow adds still another journey to the record of the most-travelled Prime Minister in history. Apart from the purpose of his visit to M. Stalin, which no doubt partly is for the purpose of rounding-off with full explanations the decisions of the recent conference with President Roosevelt at Quebec, the initiative and energy displayed by Mr. Churchill in exploiting, to the great advantage of the Allied cause, the facilities of rapid transit in spite of wartime risks, calls for admiration and a tribute. Britain’s War Prime Minister has realized the vital importance of personal contacts and quick decisions as an essential necessity in a war of great military movements and involved diplomatic and political issues. Tie broke the ice of formal exchanges between Governments by his historic visit to Washington and laying his cards on the table before the United States Congress in the darkest days of the war crisis. “Give us the tools,” he said, “and we will do the job.” By this striking example of initiative and departure from precedent, be probably saved many valuable and critical months of delay. And so it has been ever since. When issues had to be decided promptly in order that plans could be prepared well ahead, he has set out on his travels—to Moscow, Washington, Quebec, Teheran, Casablanca, Cairo, Italy. Some day, it may be hoped, these cpocli-nmrking journeys will be enshrined in the literature of the war, possibly from his own brilliant pen. They will make absorbing reading.

One of the recommendations made by the special committee which has been examining the national security regulations in Australia that might with advantage be adopted here is that “an explanatory statement as to the purpose of each regulation and order should be printed as a footnote.” This is the system adopted in Great Britain and it would be of distinct service in the Dominion. The wonting of many of the regulations is by no means plain to the layman. In that respect it is like much legal phraseology. On occasion—and since the war started—there have been instances of the meaning of a clause in a Bill being beyond the capability of a Minister to explain. One well-known instance dealt with an amendment in the method of computing income tax, find tho Prime Minister said that once ho had made sure the clniise would not effect any reduction he took no further interest. Many regulations are very involved, and a plain statement of their exact purpose would at least give those directly concerned a stalling point fox their study of what was entailed.