DARK DAYS

Evening Star, Issue 24079, 27 December 1941, Page 6

DARK DAYS

NEW ZEALAND IN STORM CENTRE MINISTER'S BLUNT WARNING (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Dec. 26. " The storm may pass us by, but at the moment, to be frank, it looks as if the storm will not pass us by and as if we shall be in it,” said the Minister of Supply, Mr Sullivan, speaking at the opening of the New Brighton gala to-day. “ I am with you to-day in the gravest circumstances and in the most threatening moment of all our history in New Zealand,” he added. Mr Sullivan said that as a member of the Government and of the War Cabinet be felt bo should speak with frankness. He appealed for the fullest co-operation with the authorities in any emergency which might occur. “ Our situation is grave, very grave indeed, for our country,” he said, “ and we do not know when the blow will fall. We have to bo prepared for anything that may come. Whatever the sacrilices we "have to make, we must make thorn as cheerfully as possible, knowing that they are absolutely necessary, whether in regard to holidays, petrol, trucks for the Army, or the intensification of work. Each one of these things is essential to give onr country a fighting chance to defend itself if the enemy decides to come here.” Everything possible had been done to enable New Zealand to defend itself, the Minister continued. There had been great difficulties, because the Dominion was a small country, unable to produce many of the things essential for defence, and it had been difficult to obtain them from abroad, but much had been obtained and much had been done. “ But, even so,” said Mr Sullivan, “ because of our isolation and because wc have not been able to develop big heavy industries wo have not got to tho same extent those things necessary to the modern army that we would have if we had more of the resources of a modern nation.” Now Zealand, tho Minister added, stood ready to do all that could be done. Whatever might be in store for the country, he felt confident that the New Zealand people would show the same qualities of courage, self-sacrifice, and lack of panic as had been shown by the people of the United Kingdom. ‘* I hope that a year from now peace and victory will have come and that tho great battle for the freedom of tho world may have been fought for the last time,” Mr Sullivan concluded, “ but we have dark days to go through before then.”