The Grey River Argus FRIDAY, January 22, 1943. WAR TIME OBLIGATIONS.

Grey River Argus, 22 January 1943, Page 4

The Grey River Argus FRIDAY, January 22, 1943. WAR TIME OBLIGATIONS.

.Imminent clanger in war, when and where it occurs, reconciles and Unites people in the common defence so that every order is obeyed and every sacrifice borne without complaint. This totalitarian action, essentia] as it is for war, is nevertheless apt to breed the idea that what is thus serviceable and indeed indespensable in a crisis should be main equally so under normal conditions after the crisis has passed. Lovers of this idea of permanent regimentation are nevertheless found critical of some of its effects even while it remains necessary, whilst proclaiming that other effects —ones which nobody else relishes except in emergency—are to be welcomed permanently. Military necessity alone justifies the decrees whereby, for instance, men are drafted to far distant battlefronts or defence posts, food is rigidly rationed; some industries are proclaimed essential and others arc denuded of labour; stoppages of work prohibited, and women as ivell. as men arc registered and drafted for essential war work- Hence when civilians at this grave time presume to urge that soldiers should be transferred from one point to another, or that economic interests should receive the same consideration as military necessities, they arc ignoring [a distinction between

peace and wartime requirements so radical that their whole conception of social relationships is open to- question. It would, were it. advisable, be desirable to see the New Zealand forces repatriated from North Africa immediately the campaign concludes there, but the decision is not one for civilians, and as pointed out by a minister, is one in which even politicians should be guided by expert, opinion rather than thenown. It is unfair to the public, for the sake of gaining their appropation, 1o persuade them that they can judge ias well as strategists what is the wisest course m war. In a parallel way, the public should be very sceptical when they are told that on the home front the machinery of the totalitarian effort should, despite i the grave circumstances of the hour, be subjected to a general overhaul. , From time to time now regulations relating to comimodities, labour, statistics, prohibitions and obligations are issued. and as demonstrating the necessity of such, action, should Ire accepted and obeyed with the same spirit of discipline as that displayed by the armed services. Where, however, the public has a reasonable and indeed necessary part to' play in the matter of 'judging national administration i is in seeing that restrictions, regimentations, and privations, either of material things or of individual liberty shall, be instituted definitely on the understanding and on the condition that they shall be only temporary, and shall not extend beyond the period of military necessity one day longer than is necessary. There are a host of obligations of which the war is the sole jusitfieation which certain people would like to see perpetuated. Adequate provision for future defence of course is not to be ignored, but regimentation of the workers ought not after the war to remain the rule. There is a temptation in some qvkirters to think that because it is meantime workable, it may always be so. Then some will say that in the interests of economy, the big industrial units fostered in war time, will in peace time be preferable to freedom of enterprise. Revenues which in the stress of war can be exacted for any number of purposes might appeal to some people as means for financing all purposes always. It is really against totalitarianism that the United Nations are fighting, and therefore liberties apart from either industry or finance, which may meantime remain in abeyance, or oven which the regimenters would later ignore, must be preserved by a vigilant body politic. There arc schemes abroad for social security, good in intention- but they ought not to be allowed to interfere with the rights of the family, or of parents to exercise in full those moral responsibilities which they dare not alienate to the State. ]n short, while the State is in duty bound to organise the national

defence, it does not become thereby entitled, ivhen military necessity no longer exists to usurp those personal fundamental liberties which the war is being waged to preserve-