PRESS TRIBUTE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21385, 21 April 1944, Page 4

PRESS TRIBUTE

DOMINIONS AT WAR REPLY TO U.S. SENATORS AN AMERICAN EDITORIAL (P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 21 THe following is. the text of aii editorial from the Washington Post, dated April 19, issued by the Deputy Prune Minister, the Hon. D. Q. Sullivan', who received the text by cable from the lion. W. Nasli, Minister in Washington. “It was a very commendable..candour which has prompted the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr. Eraser,, now briefly in the Upited. State's to go before ,0)6 Senate Committee arid submit himself to .questions on His country’g. military and foreign poliev. His country’s war effort is clear and* .above board. He can tell qf it with tremendous pride. The New Zealanders were the .spearhead of the Eightfi Army’s great drive across North Africa. They have -carried much of the combat load in the SouthWest Pacific: On all fronts Where they have beep, engaged they have fought with high courage and. distinction. One in 63 of the entire ; New Zealand population has been a war casualty—a sacrifice out of all proportion to thqt which we as a people have, yet been called, ppon,to .make. Yet New Zealand’s, .war effort, like.. Australia’s; has recently beep called ..into question by certain of our Senators, on thq curious ground that a small number of her able-bodied men are to be withheld ..from the armed forces to work on farms. “Mr. Fraser has given an incontrovertible reason for - . the new policy. He said: ‘Such large man-power demands have strained our resources so that we are not able at a critical time to produce enough food to meet thef increasing, demands qf the United States’ forces and of tlie United Kingdom.’ He might, have added that the decision was made, at the instance of the combined chiefs, of staff. One wonders if . the complaining Senators would prefer to, have our own troops in the South-West Pacific go hungry. Service in this, total war is not dependent upon uniforms. “We trust that the frank and generous explanation offered by Mr. Fraser will be considered in, conjunction with the equally cogent statement issued a few days ago by. Australia’s Minister to the United States, Sir Owen Dixon, and will set. at rest once and tor all any doubts, respecting the contribution of these allies to our common cause. Perhaps it would be, a sound rule of conduct for Americans to think the best rather than the worst of the partners whose war record has set us so shining an example.”