SOLDIERS AND FOOD

Evening Star, Issue 25172, 11 May 1944, Page 4

SOLDIERS AND FOOD

{AUSTRALIA CANNOT SUPPLY BOTH MR CURTIN EXPLAINS PROBLEM TO PREMIERS' CONFERENCE (Rec. 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, May 10. British warships, American planes, and Australian troops may' jointly police the South and South-west Pacific .security zone as the result of proposal* Mr Curtin is submitting to the dominions Prime Ministers' conference The ipJan, which would be implemented immediately after the' overthrow of Japan, will be subject to further consultations between Air Curtin and President Roosevelt. The whole wartime structure of Australia may be vitally affected as the result of the current deliberations or. the Prime Ministers/ It was made clear to-day -in circles in close touch with the Empire leaders that Mr Curtin's thesis that the maintenance of a large proportion of the nation's man power in the fighting services is no longer compatible With" the production ot vastly increasing supplies of foodstuffs for Britain and liberated Europe has been wholeheartedly accepted by Mr Churchill and other Prime Ministers Mr Curtin left his colleagues in no doubt about the Australian will to fight. He repeatedly emphasised that Australia was most anxious actively to assist in throwing back the Jaipanese He declared that the nation's manhood would prefer a combatant role in the Far Eastern war. However, Mr Curtin went on to demonstrate statistically that Australia's 7,000,000 population was incapable of keeping up the fighting forces at the present level and simultaiieousl-y meeting demands from the United Nations for more foodstuffs. Mr Curtin's forthright exposition ol the Pacific man-power-situation is believed to have greaty enhanced.his reputation. He is generally commended for the selflessness with which he advanced Australia's views, • combined with his common-sense ■ approach to common Empire problems. POST-WAR SECURITY.

The Prime Ministers reached what has been described as a surprising degree of unanimity regarding the plans for post-war security, which the British Government submitted at an early stage of the consultations.. Britain is anxious to avoid commitments during the war which might be found embarrassing after the war. The conference examined the proposals which Britain will submit to Russia .and America in forthcoming consultations. .It is emphasised that the Prime Ministers' Conference has not laid down a hard and fast policy from which it is not prepared to diverge, but the dominion Premiers have at least agreed on the general line which Britain will take up. i Meetings between Britain, Russia, and America may be followed by another Empire conference, or possibly _ by a conference in which dominion officials will meet other Allied nations on equal terms with Britain.

Similarly; the Prime Ministers avoided reaching specific commitments oil monetary and commercial policy >and reconstruction of British colonial administration/ was deferred pending exchange of views on an internationaf plane HALFWAY THROUGH. The conference is now believed to be more than halfway, through the agenda, but the future system of. Imperial consultations, migration, education, and transport hare so far been untouched. A House of Commons debate on the results achieved is likely to follow the termination of the conference, but British Commonwealth views on post-war planning are. not likely to. be made known before the meetings of the United Nations.