Chifley Insists On Girls’ Return From U.S. Service

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 October 1948, Page 8

Chifley Insists On Girls’ Return From U.S. Service

CANBERRA, Oct. 13.

Australia would insist on the return of Australian girls who worked with the United States forces in the Pacific, said the Prime Minister (Mr Chifley) in the House of Representatives today. “One thing Ido like in this world is that people should keep their word,” he said. “That is all I ask in this case,”

Mi- Chifley was speaking on the adjournment motion, moved by Mr J. T. Lang (Independent Labour), who claimed that the Minister of Immigration (Mr A. A. Calwell) had impaired friendly relations with the United States by alleging that the United States had violated an agreement on the repatriation of the girls. Mr Chifley said that he supported Mr Calwell in the matter, and added that it would have been amicablysettled if it had been left to the United States Army, “but the Opposition had to make political capital out of it.”

“Gentleman’s Agreement” There had been a gentleman’s agreement between the Australian Government and the United States authorities that the girls were to be allowed to go with the United States Army for six months until the Americans copld get their own office workers, said Mr Chifley. The girls were fully aware of that. Moving the adjournment, Mr Lang said that the only difference between this incident and the recent Russian attempt to order teachers to return from America to Moscow was that one set were Australian typists and the other Russian teachers.

Mr Calwell said that Mr Lang was poisoning relations between the two countries. “There would have been no publicity at all if the Melbourne Herald had not cracked or stolen a cable,” he added. “It would be the proudest day of my life to see the editor of the Melbourne Herald in the dock on a charge under a section of the Crimes Act which provides for a sentence of seven years.” Mr Lang’s motion was lost on the voices. Minister’s Action Attacked In a leading article headed “Little Dictator,” the Sydney Morning Herald attacks the Minister of Immigration (Mr A. A. Calwell) for his ruling that Australian girls working for the occupation authorities in Tokio must return to Australia.

“Australians with any sense of freedom left or respect for the reputation of their country will view with dismay and disgust Mr Calwell’s fresh attempt to drag back Australian women from Japan,” says the Sydney Morning Herald. “Coming on top of his petty and relentless persecution of the hapless girls now employed in the United States, this would seem to indicate that in the Minister’s eyes service with the American forces during the war was something of a crime.

“A country which • parades itself .before the world as a champion of individual freedom is treating its own citizens in a way paralleled only by the Soviet Government.”