UP AGAINST IT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 73, 27 March 1942, Page 4

UP AGAINST IT

AS NEVER BEFORE

NO TIME FOR DEFEATISM

"Never before have we been put on our mettle as we have now. We are up against it, and it is time people understood it and faced up to it," said the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr. Parry), when addressing the fire brigades' conference yesterday afternoon. Yet, continued the Minister, the psychology from one end of the country to the other had created a spirit of frustration and fear which amounted to defeatist propaganda: it was, in fact, the first step towards defeatism. The attitude to create was one of determination. The war was going to be a long and hard struggle. They were in it, and the only way out was to fight. They could be depended upon to give a good account of themselves: in fact, two soldiers back from Singapore had expressed the opinion that, in relation to population, they were as well defended as any part of the British Empire. The Prime Minister had given members of Parliament the fullest details of defence preparations. Members, with the assurances they i had received, might have told the people of the country that everytjiing possible was being done. But some did otherwise and were ready to agree with those vilifying the Government and with those who maintained that all was not being done that might be done. That was not a fair thing, and was a rough deal meted out to the Prime Minister who had done so much. ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES. Touching on the question of essential industries, Mr. Parry said that when the war broke out the newspapers and public opinion were unanimous in that there should be no sheltered industries, that all should serve alike. However, those who could look ahdad saw that the time would come when man-power would have to be retained for essential industries, and people were now beginning to realise that. But had the Government at the outset declared mining, for instance, an essential industry, they would at once have been accused of sheltering their supporters. They had sent a number of fire brigade men overseas, but were how realising that perhaps it would have been better to have kept them in New Zealand, where they were certainly needed. He thought it was probably quicker to train a soldier than a fire fighter to be efficient. \

The British fire brigades, concluded Mr. Parry, had earned the eulogy of the world, and he was confident that the New Zealand brigades, if put to the supreme test, would rise to similar heights. He also had absolute confidence in the people of New Zealand and Australia to see the contest through. ;