N.Z.’s WAR EFFORT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 16 October 1941, Page 7

N.Z.’s WAR EFFORT

APPEAL FOR CO-OPERATION ADDRESS BY Mlt (OATES (hristchurch, Oct.. 15.1 "On every man and woman in New j Zealand depends whether we are to I survive and we can survive only by , defeating the enemy. We are in a job j in which we must drop our own opinions. whether religious or political, and haps whom we have never liked be j fore. Wc must stand shoulder to shoulder, call in all our resources.: .manpower, materials, production on, ■---the resolve to beat and defeat the j j enemy. We can only do that if we; all think together and work together." This appeal for co-operation in the Dominion was made by Mr Coates. , a member of the War Cabinet, in an 'address to returned soldiers, i Mr Coates outlined his impressions of his recent mission to the United j States. Some of the informat ion he (gave he asked to be treated as confidential, but he gave his audience a ivory encouraging account of the ability l of the United States and Canada to meet the demands made on those countries by the war. Mr Coates mentioned ed that the mission from New Zealand | had been met at Washington by Lord Halifax, the British Ambassador to the United States, and he had consicl- ; ered that a tremendous honour. He also paid a tribute lo the work of the Australian Minister, Mr R. G. ! Casey, and to Mr Casey’s helpful atti-j tude. "I sometimes wondered whether |Mr Casey is a better representative for New Zealand than for Australia.” !Mr Coates said. "All you have to do jis to send Dick Casey a note and he j will do all he can for New Zealand. He is greatly respected in the United 'Slates and is a very fine representa- ; j live for his own country and a great , friend of ours.” Talking of New Zealand own war i effort and of the import of his mis-, sion abroad, Mr Coates said: "It is j one thing to have a continual drain Jon manpower going overseas. It is also a drain on the public to 1 happening unless the public can see, 'that the country is war conscious and j lis equipped to defend itself. If the j enemy has one tank we must have two. Our objective is to strive to defeat the enemy with trained men and cquipKQLTPMENT IN DOMINION "It is a question of having machinery ; and equipment for modern warfare in jour own country so that the men who | are sent overseas have at least had a chance of getting elementary training.; | The duty of the country, of the Government and of the War Cabinet is to I strain every nerve, to be courageous, to be relentless even, in the direction of l acquiring for our soldiers here and j overseas all equipment needed.” In the circumstances, with Hitler, straining every nerve and with every J bit of equipment needed elsewhere, the I affairs of New Zealand and its demands were inclined to fade a bit • | into the background, Mr Coates said. E For instance. Now Zealand was a long way from the centre of affairs, but 1 , that ought not to be allowed to alter ! the position. It was essential to see ! that the people of New Zealand felt [that they were in a position to play , Inn important part (as small as it may j 'be) in wearing down the enemy. Describing the negotiations in Amer-;. ica, Mr Coates explained that he hud . handled the discussions on the supply : of war material to New Zealand and . - Mr Langstone had handled the trade j; side of the Icase-lend policy. Mr ~ Coates said that it had all the ele- j ments of a friend endeavouring to help another friend in very dire trouble. The requisitions that had been placed for material under the Lend-Lease Act amounted already to double the total amount stipulated in the legislation. With that, the United States had also to attend to the task of arming j Mr Coates said that it had been f‘a bit of a job” to establish a case for the needs of New Zealand. Everything was wanted urgently by somebody else but he said he thought it had been proved to the United States administrators in making out a case for New Zealand that the Dominion had taken a top-ranking position in the supply of manpower. “I have been asked here and outside New Zealand about the part the Lab- ; our Government has played in this war.” Mr Coates added. “I am bound to say frankly and at once that the Government has not hesitated to meet the situation with armed power. They have done it very well and immediately."—P.A.