THIRD LIBERTY LOAN

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 June 1943, Page 2

THIRD LIBERTY LOAN

APPEAL TO WORKERS

WELLINGTON, June 11. A Liberty Loan target for the wage earners of New Zealand was indicated by Mr. F. P. Walsh in a statement to-night for the New Zealand Federation of Labour. t “This body has affiliations representing 200,000 workers, who, sard Mr. Walsh, “earn the larger part of the Dominion’s wage bill, which is more than £100,000,000 per annum. “Would it be too much of a sacriflee,” asked Mr. Walsh, “for the workers to subscribe 2/- out of every £ they earn, and thus contribute £10,000,000 to defend their liberty, their standards of living, _ their culture, and happiness in this loveliest of all lands? Look at the fate of our fellow workers in conquered Europe. When we think for only a moment oi their suffering and their sacrifices we no longer ask the question: Yhat have we at stake in this war. In all countries overrun by the Axis forces the trade union movement has been smashed and the liberties of the people extinguished. That has been its fate after many years of working and fighting to establish the rights ot labour? Ruthless torture and terror have been used against humble people to destroy all the things of life they held dear. We would do anything to save our country from such a late —our own country, in which the gifts of nature and the work of reformers have made it possible to achieve economic and social conditions unsurpassed in any part of the world.” From the first day of the war, added Mr. Walsh, the Federation of Labour pledged itself to use all its power and influence to help the Government in the fight against the forces of Fascism. All its members had been determined to do their part, whenever they were called upon, to work for the war effort. Every worker realised how necessary it was to make guns and aeroplanes, to produce food, and to load and man ships to take it to Great Britain, and they must realise just as fully that it was no less essential to put their money into the Liberty Loan. The Federation was taking its own advice, having made a subscription of £2OOO.