Says Great Armies Unwanted In Pacific

Northern Advocate, 26 July 1943, Page 2

Says Great Armies Unwanted In Pacific

SYDNEY. This Day. Great armies will not be required lor defeat of Japan declares Mr Curtin. Victory, he says, will hinge upon naval and air strength offensively employed. The Australian Prime Minister expressed these views in a statement answering Opposition criticism of pres-

cnt restrictions on overseas use of Commonwealth Militia, forces. Mr Curtin suggested that in future offensives General MacArthur would re-

assign to the Australian Government and its service commanders, responsibility for defence of Australia, his main base. Considerable forces woud

also be required to protect General

MacArthur’s lines of communication and areas represented by reconquered territories.

“By the time Australia has made the maximum contribution of which it is capable to the Allied expeditionary force and to protection of base and line of communication areas and has also replaced its casualties, it will have stretched its capacity to the utmost,” said Mr Curtin. “But Australia will make the maximum contribution of which she is capable on land, sea and in the air.”

Labour’s record as wartime Government will be the keynote of the Prime Minister’s broadcast policy speech on Monday night. He is also expected to make further promises to enforce laws against strikes, but is likely to keep election issues off domestic problems, which are regarded as Labour’s most vulnerable point. Because of tradition that -a Prime Minister's policy speech attacks not personalities but Opposition policy, Mr. Curtin is not expected to mention the discord now existing between the Opposition Leader (Mr. Fadden) and the former Prime Minister (Mr. Menzies). Mr. Fadden's scheme of post-war credits by refunding one-third of net income tax collected in war years after July, 1942, has been publicly criticised by Mr. Menzies, who said: “I don’t believe that Mr. Fadden’s scheme can be introduced without inflation. We need every shilling that can be obtained from the Australian people to win the war.” The possible cost of the scheme has been put as high as £200,000,000. The Opposition Leader has now replied to Mr. Menzies’ criticism, saying: ‘‘This stab in (he back at this juncture makes another betrayal in a series for which Mr. Menzies has become notorious.” (Mr. Menzies recently headed the breakaway movement of 17 Opposition members, but the breach was declared healed before the opening cf the present election campaign). With polling less than four weeks away, political commentators are now assessing “possibles and probables” without being able to convince themselves that either Government or Opposition will emerge with a clear working majority. In all his speeches so far Mr. Fadden has made a National Government the first plank of the Opposition platform. His pledge for all-party administration everywhere has been cordially received. Political commentators, however, expect Labour to employ the Fadden-Menzies disagreement as evidence of the impractical nature of the proposal. To Prevent Coal Strikes Instructions to speed up prosecutions against striking coal miners and ensure that penalties are enforced have been issued by the Prime Minister (Mr. Curtin). The instructions provide for immediate prosecution of persons responsible for coal stoppages and enforcement of gaol term penalties for those who default on fines. .Crown solicitors, who are satisfied that there is a prima facie case of a coal stoppage being in contravention of law, will immediately begin proceedings under the National Security Act against employers or employees responsible. The Government will not interfere with automatic process of prosecution and penalties imposed will be fully enforced. Mr. Curtin said that he would regard every coal miner ■ who stopped work not only as a breaker of the law but as a factor in giving aid to the enemies of his country. Until the issue of Mr. Curtin’s newest regulation, enforcement of existing laws against strikes had not been automatic, but. dependent upon Government authori- . satior..