Plea For Conscription
CANBERRA, Fri. (12.30 p.m.).—“Let us look at ourselves. Look at the humiliation and indignity we will put ourselves to when we go to beseech America and New Zealand for help in defence.”
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator N. O’Sullivan) said this during discussion on the estimates.
"The people of Australia would overwhelmingly accept a system of universal military service,” he said. What is the Government's objection to universal training? “America and New Zealand have it, and, according to press reports, there is a very substantial following in the Australian Labour Party who favour it. "Figures recently released by the Minister of the Army (Mr Chambers) show the strength to be about 31,000 less than half the recruiting target of 69,000. ONE FOR ONE. “At present there are 10,000 privates in the Australian forces. “That is one commissioner or noncommissioned officer for every private." The Leader of the Opposition (Senator W. J. Cooper) said LieutenantGeneral Sturdee, who has just returnc 1 from the United Kingdom, had said that compulsory training in Britain was a success.
Senator R J. Murray challenged the wisdom of sending General Sturdee overseas on the eve of his retirement. “It would have been of greater use to Australia if we had sent a ouch younger man with a brighter eye to the future. and one who was not convinced of the inevitability of war,” he added.
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Bibliographic details
Northern Advocate, 21 October 1949, Page 5
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237Plea For Conscription Northern Advocate, 21 October 1949, Page 5
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