T.U.C. DECISIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 September 1945, Page 5

T.U.C. DECISIONS

DEMOBILISATION EXPEDITED (Recd. 10.35 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 11. An emergency resolution calling on the Government to speed up the demobilisation of armed forces was carried unanimously by the Trades Union Congress at Blackpool to-day. The resolution stated that Congress was convinced the release from the armed forces could be vigorously accelerated, and called for reconsideration of the general system of release. It also urged the Government in the interests of informed public opinion to give periodically the fullest available information of the size ol the armed forces in the various war theatres, the number of persons in the successive release groups, the number of recruits being taken into the services, the available shipping and other transport facilities and associated matters. Introducing the resolution, Mr. Charles Duke said it states what was the paramount problem occupying the minds of people. It was not submitted in any spirit of fractious criticism of the Government, but it did call for the reconsideration of the plans and proposals made some time before the defeat of Germany and Japan. Mr. Duke said it was realised that shipping was causing delay in repatriation of men for demobilisation from the Far East, “but do we help the men in the Far East awaiting transport by holding back tens of thousands in Europe and this country? While that, is equity it is obviously an unpractical way of approaching the vexed problem.”