COMPULSORY SERVICE ISSUE: COMPARISON WITH UNIONISM

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 October 1948, Page 6

COMPULSORY SERVICE ISSUE: COMPARISON WITH UNIONISM

(P.A.) -HAMILTON, This Day. Objection to the Federation of Labour, in a recent statement issued to the press, making the question of compulsory national service a sectional political issue was voiced by several members of the Waikato R.S.A. executive at a meeting last night. There was considerable discussion on the subject, the concensus of opinion being that security of. New Zealand and the British Empire should be far, above party politics. The introduction of party politics appeared to be for the sole purpose of defeating the only feasible and fair manner under which the responsibilities of defending the country could be logically and adequately undertaken.

It was alleged that the federation’s statement was . grossly inconsistent with one of the main planks of its own policy, that of compulsory unionism, If it,was, good enough for the, federation to maintain that compulsory unionism was to ensure .the economic.structure ..of the Dominion,.,surely. it .was. claimed it was even more important for compulsory national service to ensure that the country was-not so weak militarily as to invite, attack. -