COMMON POOL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20261, 31 May 1940, Page 9

COMMON POOL

ALL RESOURCES GOVERNMENT'S AIM PENDING LEGISLATION CONTROL DURING WAR PEOPLE AND PROPERTY (Government Message) WELLINGTON, this day. “My advisers are confident that they are acting in consonance with the wishes of all the people of this Dominion —Maori and pakeha alike — when they take this opportunity to reaffirm their unaltered and unalterable determination to afford to the common cause every possible assistance within the power of this Dominion, and to prosecute this struggle against the rule of force and evil until the final victory, of which they are entirely confident, is attained,” said the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, in the Speech from the Throne at the opening of Parliament to-day. “It is for this reason that the Ministers propose to lay before you during this session a measure on the lines of that adopted by the United Kingdom, placing at the disposal of the State for the duration of the war ail the resources of the Dominion, in persons and in property. Co-operation Invited “The successful prosecution of the war must, in the existing circumstances, be their single aim, and they propose to invite the co-operation of representatives of the Opposition Party in Parliament, of primary and secondary production, and of Labour in order that every section of the community may have representation in the conduct of the Dominion’s war effort. My advisers trust that, in this way, lay bringing into a common pool for one sole object—the attainment of victory—all the resources, all the knowledge, and all the power of the community, they will be taking the most effective measures in their power to obtain the maximum of efficiency and co-operation, and to hasten the end of this conflict into which we have been forced in defence of all we honour and hold dear. Attack on Freedom “The war which, for a lengthy period, was comparatively passive, has within the last few weeks taken a most active and, indeed, critical form. The full fury of the attack on freedom, democracy and international order and justice, which has been in preparation by Nazi Germany for so many years, has now been directed first, against peaceful neutral Powers —Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, who had given no provocation whatever for the violent and treacherous attack that was made upon them, and then upon the French and British armies fighting in France and the Low Countries. As had always been expected, this long-prepar-ed assault has proved to be a weighty one. An entirely new situation has arisen. The Ministers have already made arrangements to increase by concentrated training the efficiency of the territorial force as rapidly as possible, and have also made provision for the arming and equipping of those members of Class II of the National Reserve who, as returned soldiers, had long-since proved their courage and patriotism and who had so enthusiastically responded last year to the call made by the Government for their enrolment in a special force for local defence.

“At this testing hour of trial, 1 pray God to watch over your deliberations and to guide them in wisdom and justice,” concluded Lord Galway.