WILL BE GIVEN A CHANCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 24 October 1941, Page 2

WILL BE GIVEN A CHANCE

AUSTRALIA’S LABOUR GOVERNMENT VIEWS OF SIR KEITH MURDOCH Auckland, Oct., 23. The Australian people are not alarmed at having a Labour Government at the moment, said Sir Keith Murdoch, managing director of the “Herald,” Melbourne, who is in Auckland on his way to the United States and Britain. Sir Keith is making a business trip and will have conversations in London with the Minister of Information, Mr Brendan Bracken. Sir Keith was formerly DirectorGeneral of Information in Australia and was met in Auckland by Mr J. T. Paul, New Zealand Director of Publicity. “The Curtin Government is settling down very well,” Sir Keith said. "The Australian war effort lacked sharpness in certain directions, particularly in economic internal adjustments, diversion of private spending was never properly tackled and we got into trouble with petrol rationing. The public has been restless and wants to give Mr Curtin a chance. He is a splendid type of Australian. The talents of the new Government may be in doubt, but it will certainly get a chance. It is pledged to a total war effort and Mr Curtin’s mind is clear on the issues. I think the Government will insist on producing the goods. The Labour Government is expected to handle the unions firmly and well.” The public of Australia expected very heavy taxation, and probably an attempt to expand bank credit. Sir Keith continued. He said the Government was also expected to make certain pension and pay increases, and he thought the Government was likely to get its Budget through the House ! in the near future. Income-tax would no doubt be made steeply progressive, and there might be a move, wrongly in .his opinion, to protect some wagelearners from taxation. “I think the new Government’s future depends very much on what happens in the Pacific,” he said. It was a fully belligerent Government, but no doubt would strike difficulties. One of these would probably be the question of extending conscription to cover j the Netherlands East Indies and the i Malayan islands as well as home defence, and this might cause differences within the party. Another difficulty would probably arise in connection ' with the use of manpower in Australia and its diversion to munition works. When asked if the Labour Government was expected to embark upon an ambitious social programme in warj time, Sir Kei’h said he did not think jthis likely. The Government generally ' was expected to confine itself in this | direction to the extension of pensions and to providing more machinery for I settling ind istrial disputes. One would expect the Labour Budget to demand three times as much for war as for internal expenditure, though it had to i be remembered that the State Governj merits were responsible for considerable internal costs. | "The Australian public was strongly j critical of campaigns, doomed from j the first because of lack of adequate I aircraft, artillery and tanks, but it was never in the least defeatist." Sir i Keith replied when asked if Australians were convinced that the expediences of their men in Greece and Crete j would not be repeated.. "They were ljust critical that such things could occur and there have since been many ! assurances that the Middle East is (strongly supplied with equipment. I “Australia is intensely in the war. No voice is ever raised against the be- | lief that we sink or swim with Bri. j tain. The grimness of the task is geni orally realised, though we have a gooc (many democratic difficulties in wak- ! ing people up to it. A change of Gov- ! eminent should achieve this. The spectacle of Labour’s own leaders env 'barking on a toUJ « policy anc

(speaking every day with conviction about the task will have a gooc effect lon those intensely free-minded people I who have been taking victory as asI sured. This is one reason why many ; people welcome a change of Govern* •ment.” —P.A.