TOTAL WARFARE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1942, Page 5

TOTAL WARFARE

AUSTRALIAN DECISION

MOBILISING MEANS

(By Telegraph—Press' Association—Copyright.) SYDNEY, February 17. Complete mobilisation of all of Australia's« resources, human and material, for the defence of the Commonwealth was ordered todayby the War Cabinet The Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, made the announcement in a stirring speech in which lie launched a "Liberty War Loan" of

£35,000,000, .•■'.. Mr. Curtin said: "Every human being in this country is now, whether he or she likes it or not, at the service of the Government. ' "Every material thing—money, machinery, plant,, or whatever it may be—must, on the immediate direction of the Government, be -

diverted to the purposes of the war.

"That is clear-cut and specific," he exclaimed, and he added: "The enemy rests upon a totalitarian basis, using everything. This country, therefore, will use everything "in its resistance.

"We have reached tlie stage when a new way of life is impelled upon us all. Leisure must now be devoted to the service. of our fellow-men. There is nobody who has not something to give, who' has not some work to perform, who cannot find some service that is useful in some way or other.''

Mr. Curtin said he would eschew post-mortems and would not allow others to continue to dispute whether mistakes had been made, whether this thing or that had been done rightly or wrongly. That chapter of controversy had ended.

Only two things stood between the Australians and the overthrow of everything they had or might hope to have: namely, the-heroism and fighting prowess of the men who went forward into battle, and the industry, zeal, and devotion'of the men and women who remained behind. v Revealing that the loan was already more than half subscribed, Mr. Curtin j declared: "No longer will this Government appeal. It will order and .direct." • •• ■ - <■•■■ ■.->•■.■.-...■.■...- The speech, which was lustily cheer-! Ed, was also broadcast to the whole nation.