NATIONAL SERVICE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 39, 14 January 1944, Page 4

NATIONAL SERVICE.

Expressing the nation's determination that this war shall not be followed by another interim leading, to a new disaster, President Roosevelt has asked Congress to pass a national service

law and other legislation to facilitate its working. His programme also includes a cost of food law, the establishing of minimum prices for farmers and a ceiling on prices for consumers, and legislation to prevent exorbitant profits. In making this call in his annual message to Congress Mr Itooseyelt dwelt upon bis conference with Mr Churchill and Marshal Stalin and their "supreme objective for the future"—security for all from aggression. This, he added, meant also economic security, social security, and moral security. In these words are to be found the impelling reason for Mi - Roosevelt's call and, as he adds, if ever there was a time to subordinate individual or group selfishness to the national good that time is now. No matter how this selfishness may be expressed—in disunity, strikes, inflation, luxury, self-seeking, which the President enumerated among others, it has a grave effect upon the men who are in the fighting line, and he unhesitatingly expressed in bold language what this means. His words should strike home to all United Nations people. There can be no complacency while the war is raging. It has disastrous effects as illustrated in the fact that, in ihe "United States, after the victories of Stalinsrrad and Tunisia and successes against U-boats, production last Tune and July_ fell so considerably as to rlertrive ihe fi.o-htin.or forces of 1000 planes. It is Mr Eoosevelt's clear olan to harness the American nation for the fullest war service wh'Vh orlv can end the conflict quickly.