Effect Of War On Local Body Work

Northern Advocate, 12 June 1942, Page 2

Effect Of War On Local Body Work

The effect of war on local bodies and the move for naiional government were considered in the report presented to the Whangarei County Council at its Csth annual meeting teday by the chairman (Mr ,1. A. S. Mac Kay).

Since the last annual meeting the strategic course of the war has changed very materially and by the fact of Japan entering the confiicl we find ourselves in the theatre of war. stated the report.

"Tins change has placed a much greater responsibility on the people of this Dominion and is making and will continue to make increased demands on our manpower and on the wealth of our people. For that reason, if for no other, an ever increasing number of our people—including ihe Prime Minister and many of hissupporters—feel ihat there is an urgenr need in New Zealand today for political unity and a Government representative of the whole of the people. Great Difficulties “The people arc clamouring for the best brains in the country to direct a well-balanced war effort and the wise expenditure of the many millions they are providing for that purpose. County Councils like all other organisations are working under great difficulties, labour and plant being almost unprocurable, yet so important to local bodies lit roads are to be maintained up to a standard that will make it possible for rural producers to handle their produce. This produce is ccmandeered by the Government —and rightly so in wartime—to form a very important part of our war effort. It would appear that: we have reached the time when a balance will have to be struck between national civilian service and army service. Economic Disorganisation “If this problem is not freed in the near future the result might well be a disorganisation of our economic structure, for it is from production and production alone that the national income is derived, and the sooner it is realised that total war effort does not mean armed service atene, and a proper liaison arrived at between all branches of our national effort the sooner the country will be placed on a total war footing and work and strike as one great national force. "It is possible that there is too great a tendency today to measure our war effort by the number of millions of money we spend rather than by the result of that expenditure.”