EQUAL SACRIFICE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 71, 21 September 1939, Page 10

EQUAL SACRIFICE

EVERYONE'S DUTY

MINISTER'S WARNING

A UNITED PEOPLE

WAGES IN WARTIME

Expressing the opinion that civilians must not expect the men who are serving in the forces to be the only ones to make sacrifices towards the defence of the country, the Acting Prime Minister (the Hon. P. Fraser), when speaking in the second reading debate on the Appropriation Bill in the House of Representatives yesterday, warned the House and the country that if the war continued everyone must expect to make equal sacrifice. If it were possible to do so, he said, members of the Government were prepared to work for the same pay and allowances as those received by the forces, and everyone should be prepared to do the same. Mr. Fraser commenced his remarks by stating that the forcing up of prices to the point of exploitation would not be tolerated. It was possible that difficulties and anomalies might arise in keeping prices down, but they would have to be met. Mr. W. J. Poison (National, Stratford): The farmers will be 100 per cent, with you in nipping exploitation in the bud. If there were injustices adjustments would have to be made, Mr. Fraser said. The Government would undertake to inquire Into all cases of hardship and to make every possible adjustment. Every member of the Government wanted to manage the country so that New Zealand could face the situation as a united people. Eeferring to statements made regardi ing the excessive earnings of carpenters while building huts for soldiers, who were receiving only 7s a day, Mr. Fraser said that he agreed that when men were prepared to give up their civil occupations and risk their lives for their country all other citizens should be prepared to make commensurate sacrifices. "I will say this on behalf of the Government," he said. "We are prepared, if it can be done, to live at the same rate as the soldiers." Mr. Poison: So are we all. "I am not going to say that it will be possible to adjust everybody to thaj," Mr. Fraser continued, "but we have got to look at it from that point of view." It did not matter whether it was a case of carpenters, farmers, watersiders, or anyone else, the time might I come, if the war continued, when they, would have to subscribe literally to what they now subscribed to in their hearts. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (National, Kaipara) said that he was sure the country would welcome Mr. Fraser's statement. It had been made in all sincerity and everyone should agree that there should be absolute equality of sacrifice. ; ' DOMINION'S PART. New Zealand's part in the war was referred to by other speakers during the debate and a number of points of interest were raised.. 'The suggestion that the age limit for recruits for the special force should be amended to allow-returned soldiers to serve was made, and the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) agreed that it might be advisable to have "the steadying influence" of experienced men if Dominion troops had to go into action again. Discussing the economic aspect of war, Mr. J. A. Lee (Government, Grey Lynn) said that if wages of 2s a day would win the war both New Zealand and Britain would come down to that level at once, but such action would only disrupt the economy of the country. Those who served should not come through the war to face a burden of war debt. Every effort should be made to see that no one made war profits at the expense of the future generations. "I.cannot see the end of this war," .said Mr. Lee, "but we could not see the end of the last war." Mr. C. Carr (Government, Timaru): Was there any end to it? Probably not, said Mr. Bee, but there was a thing that was worse than war, and that was the prison house of Fascism." The democracies must devote themselves to the destruction of that prison house, and to defend herself New Zealand might be required to send men to the ends of the earth. Mr. J. Hargest (National, Awarua) paid a tribute to the leadership of the Hon. P. Fraser, and said that while he was leading the Government it would always do its duty. AGE OF RECRUITS. Referring to the age fixed for the recruits to the special military force for service at home or abroad, Mr. Hargest said that while the experience of age did not always compensate for the enthusiasm of youth, he considered that the age limit should be altered to permit of ' returned soldiers serving. The Minister of Defence: We will do , that. Mr. Hargest said that if there were men in all ranks who had had war experience they would have a steadying effect on the young men. The age limit fixed precluded that. The Minister: I will be quite prepared to reconsider the age limits. While returned soldiers might not last for many months, said Mr. Hargest, they would be invaluable in the first few actions if New Zealand troops had to go into action' again. There were scores of things in the Army that had to be learned by bitter experience and the experienced men could help the young men on service. Mr. Hargest also made a plea for the civil engineers who had a wide practical experience in engineering. These men would be invaluable in the engineers he said, and should not be passed over in favour of officers without practical experience. To make use of them the Minister would have to overcome military prejudice, but it would be worth while. The Minister said that he wanted to dc the fair thing by the officers who had been serving. Mr. Hargest said that he agreed that the officers deserved consideration, but care should be taken not to waste the experience of practical men who were now offering their services. Every care should be taken to see that competent men were placed in charge of the forces. If an officer was not competent there was only one place for him—in civilian life, MINISTER'S VIEWS. Replying to points raised by Mr. Hargest, the Minister of Defence said that as far as the age of officers was concerned, if they raised the age, they would no doubt make a large number

of capable men available, and he was quite prepared to go into the question as to whether they could not be more liberal. They were not restricted as far as the n.c.o.s Avere concerned, and he did not think they should be tied as long as there were men who could do the job well. "We have to use common-sense methods," said Mr. Jones. The' Minister said that the rates of pay had given them a good deal of thought. The Territorial rate of pay for a private was 5s a day, plus 5s a day camp allowance, and for a colonel 24s a day, plus 5s camp allowance. In the special force a private received 7s i a day and no other allowance. A colonel received 25s a day plus 5s a j day camp allowance. He thought that! a married colonel with two children at £1 ss, plus 5s camp allowance, plus 3s for his wife and 3s for the two children—-a total of £1 16s a daywas reasonably well paid. A married private with two children received £2 9s a week, plus £1 Is for his wife and £1 Is for his children. "We have been generous," said the Minister. "Our rates of pay are the highest in the British Commonwealth. If we have to send a man overseas, and if his going overseas inflicts any hardship on any man and he cannot pay his way, we will have to measure up to that. We will have to share the hardship, and we will endeavour to do the right thing by those who serve in the force. We want to remove any feeling of injustice." NATION AT WAR. "It is worth while emphasising that it is not the men who are going to the front who are at war, not the men going into camp who are at war, but it is the nation that is at war, and no one should be advantaged because of the fact," the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) declared. During the Great War millions of pounds had been made in profits during the absence of the soldiers; the present Government was trying to avoid that. The Government was trying to work out some procedure whereby all would he on the soldier's basis, not by cutting everybody's income, but on the basis of national service. Mr. Lee: Why not bring the soldier up to the average income? Mr. Nash replied that they should try to find a way, without adding to the National Debt, whereby everybody giving a national service would- be placed on a common footing.