NOT READY YET

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20824, 1 July 1942, Page 3

NOT READY YET

.OFFENSIVE MOVE AUSTRALIA’S POWER DRIVE AGAINST JAPAN (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (10 a.m.) SYDNEY, July 1. “It would require very little more aid from the United States to enable an offensive to be undertaken from Australia,” is a statement reported to have been made by Mr. W. Wasserman, head of the lease-or-lend mission to Australia, Who has just returned to America, The statement, which is generally regarded here as an exaggeration of Australia’s military' strength, is described by the spokesman of the United States lease-or-lend mission as “utterly incomprehensible.” Such statements, if circulated in the United States, were apt to do irreparable harm to the Allied cause in the south-west Pacific. He said there was some consternation at the possible effect of Mr. Wasserman’s reported statement on the future flow of lease-or-lend supplies from America. "“The blunt fact,” says a Sydney Morning Herald writer, “is that the Allies are not nearly in a position to undertake an offensive from this area, although there has been a wonderful growth in the Allies’ war power in this theatre and Japan would be foolish to attempt an invasion of these shores now.” The statement attributed to Mr. Wasserman does not conform with his utterances in Australia, and the impression here is that he has been misquoted. Statement Denied In Washington, Mr. Wasserman issued a formal denial of the statement attributed to him by the New York Herald-Tribune, which the Australian Associated Press subsequently cabled to Australia, to the effect that it will require very little more aid from the United States to enable Australia to take the offensive. Meanwhile, the Australian Legation said Mr. L. J. Hartnett had denied a statement attributed to him in the same newspaper report that Australia will soon attain the point where it will be possible to supply the American forces with most of their necessary war supplies. The Australian Associated Press asked both Mr. Wasserman and Mr. Hartnett to give their views regarding the Australian production situation so that they might correctly be represented in a constructive manner, but so far they have not provided anything further. Mr, Wasserman said that if Australians wished to know his views they could refer to statements and speeches he had made in Australia, which had not changed. He added that the whole purpose of his work is to see that Australians get what they need. Therefore, he?* was misrepresented if anyone quoted him as saying that they had enough or almost enough. Prime Minister’s Comments “Australia is still incapable of taking the offensive against Japan,” declared the Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, commenting on the reported statement of Mr. Wasserman. Mr. Curtin added: “There is no reason for complacency >ver the war situation.” Apart from not being sufficiently strong nor sufficiently equipped, Australia had not sufficiently advanced in other phases of its war effort. The tremendous developments which had taken place in the last few months had imposed a great strain on Australia’s national economy. Every activity had been subordinated to the determination of the Government to concentrate on the war as the paramount obligation confronting it. Mr. L. J. Harnett, Commonwealth Director of Ordnance Production, had accompanied Mr. Wasserman to the United States to assist in overcoming certain difficulties connected with the maximum production here. Statements at Variance Mr. Curtin said he could not believe that Mr. Wasserman and Mr. Harnett had been reported correctly. Their reported statements were considerably at variance with the opinions they had expressed immediately prior to their departure for the United States. Mr. Curtin also emphasised the Government’s determination to obtain the 318,000 additional persons required for the war effort by the end of December. The resources necessary to maintain the civil order must, therefore, be reduced to a minimum. Mr. Curtin recalled that when Japan came into the war, he had warned the ■ration that only the maximum effort would suffice in the struggle for survival ahead. There could be no abate ment of that purpose. The question was not how much of our peace-time way of life we would like to preserve. “The very utmost of our resources must be mobilised for war,” said Mr. Curtin. “The cold logic of this is that only the minimum resources can be retained for the civil order.” In an effort still further to expand the Australian military forces, all employers of labour have been requested to furnish returns of their employees to the man-power authorities. It is stated that all eligible men not performing essential services will be drafted to the fighting forces. Where it is considered necessary, substitute labour will be found to replace the men called up. .