APPEAL FOR DISCIPLINE

Evening Star, Issue 23325, 22 July 1939, Page 15

APPEAL FOR DISCIPLINE

AUSTRALIA AND THE NATIONAL REGISTER PRIME MINISTER WARNS THE COUNTRY OF DANGER AHEAD Press Association— By Telegraph—Copyright MELBOURNE, July 21. On thd eVe of the conference with Mr J. Curtin, the Labour leader, with regard to the dispute over the national register, the Prime Minister (Mr R. 6. Menzies) addressed a Scots’ luncheon after his arrival at Melbourne from Perth. He declared that this country was in danger, and appealed for a united national outlook. He criticised “ persons of obscure mental processes who rise up and say ‘this is Hitlerism’ when a Democrat Government, democratically elected, takes steps to ensure that its decisions are carried out.” Mr Menzies was referring to Labour disobedience concerning the national register and the threat by key industries to dislocate Australian industry. He added: “ I appeal for discipline and warn you that we cannot get the maximum national effort if some of us think our way of running the country is the only way, and if the majority is against that way then the majority is wrong.”

Union leaders are now asking for legislative assurance that the national register will not be used for conscriptive purposes. The executive of tho Amalgamated Engineering Union, with 30,000 Australian members, advised the rank and file n,ot to sign the register. MR MENZIES AND MR CURTIN CONFER WILL GOVERNMENT YIELD GROUND? MELBOURNE, July -21. The conference between Mr Menzies and Mr Curtin on the national register was opened to-day and adjourned to to-morrow. The Prime Minister declined to indicate* whether the Government would yield ground on the unions’ request for legislative assurance that the register records will not be used for industrial conscription, '