SECRET SESSION

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24827, 25 February 1944, Page 2

SECRET SESSION

WAR AND MANPOWER I | reports from overseas (5.R.) WELLINGTON, Thursday A secret session was rommenced in the House of Representatives to-night to discuss New Zealand's position in the war and particularly phases of manpower. The following official report was issued to-night by the Speaker, the lion. F. W. Schramm: "After a brief review of the general; war situation the Prime Minister, the | Ht. Hon. I'. Eraser, gave particular?! of the adjustinents already made in the j lighting services following the more! favourable position in the Pacific. While] lliis had made men available lor neces-1 snrv production, tin* rnpidlv changing; si I nation in the vnrious wur zones hnd j raised fiuiln'r problems wliieh made it j imperative to examine the whole (jues-1 t Jon of the best contributions to be j by New Zealand to the united j WM r effort. j "Cabled fmnmnnieations received j from the United States and the United, Kingdom were laid before the House, j which decided that adequate time was j needed for members to studv the re-1 ports and statistics placed in their, possession. An adjournment was accord-! inglv taken at p.m. until W'ednes-j day at 2.M p.m." Statement by Prime Minister In informing the House in the afternoon of the proposed sit ting, the Prime j Minister said there were aspects ol the j manpower position which could not be j discussed in public. He said the need! for strict secrecy on this subject which! had obtained in the pa*t could be re-1 ja.xed to some extent because of the j improved war situation. Aeeordingly it i would be possible later to consider man- j power in its broader aspects in open | session. A special report on the manpower position had been prepared, continued Mr. F raser, and would be circulated to members before the secret session commenced at 7.30 p.m. It was the intention of the Government to restrict matters taken in secret sittings only to those aspects of the war effort which could not possibly be made public. Adjournment Until Wednesday The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland, said he and the Prime Minister had discussed the question of secret sittings and it was obvious there was need for a secret session. However, the Opposition felt that such sittings should be kept to a minimum. Mr. Eraser said that it would not he possible to conclude the sitting to-night in view of certain information which lie wished to place before the House being awaited. He therefore proposed that the House should adjourn after to-night until Wednesday of next week, when he expected that tfie secret session would be resumed. Transport difficulties oxer the week-end made it impossible for members to return to Wellington in time for the normal resumption next Tuesday. Questions and other formal business were taken when the House sat at 2.-'3O p.m.. the only legislation introduced being the 1 nvercargill Licensing Committee Bill. Tributes were paid to the services of two former legislators. Mr. I ]). MfDougall (Mataura) and the Hon. j J. liigg. M.L.C., whose deaths occurred late last year. The House adjourned j at 4.10 p.m. until the evening as a 1 mark of respect. ! MESSENGER'S DEATH BOY UNCONSCIOUS IN VAN WENT TO MEET TRAIN (0.C.) MAT A MAT A, Thursday A Post and Telegraph Department messenger was fatally injured while in a van at the Matamata railway station this evening. He was David Hill, aged 15, son of Mrs. V. A. Hill, of Western Street, Matamata. The lad -went to the railway_ station at 6.45 p.m. to meet the train from Rotorua, and was found lying unconscious in the van when the train was pulled into the platform after shunting operations had been completed. The van ' was originallv stopped well short of the : platform and it is not known how the j boy entered or how he received his in- . juries. He was admitted to the Mata- | mata Hospital at seven o'clock sutfer- | ing from a fracture of the skull and died | at 8.45 p.m. An inquest will be opened this mornI ing. DRIED VEGETABLES USE BY THE FORCES | NO COMPLAINTS RECEIVED j (S.R.) WELLINGTON. Thursday ; A statement that the United States j Army authorities and the New Zealand I Army authorities had both stated that !no complaints had been received : about the dehydrated vegetables supI plied by New Zealand was made by the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. B. | Roberts, in reply to an urgent qties- | tion asked by Mr. K. L. Cullen (Government —Hawke's Bay) in the House of Representatives to-day. The Minister added that New Zealand dehydrated vegetables were being prepared by methods identical to those used in other countries, including Great Britain, the United States and Australia. Verv large quantities of dehydrated vegetables of all kinds were being used by the fiijhtine forces of the United Nations in all parts of the world. COAL FOR AUCKLAND SHIPMENTS NOT SUFFICIENT Three Union Company ships, the Kartigi. the Karepo and the Kaimiro, j have discharged nearly 6000 tons of | coal in Auckland this week. This amount is still far short of the quanI tity needed, and is not sufficient to replenish depleted stocks. The wharf | deadlock ot last week delayed the discharge of some of the coal. Two more vessels are loading coal at Westport for Auckland. THE ARMY OR MINES MENTION IN PARLIAMENT (S K.) WKLUXCTOX, Thursday A statement that manpower officers were inviting men awaiting mobilisa- | tion hv the Army to volunteer for work j in coal mines in lieu of military service was made by Mr. W. S. Goosman (Opposition —Waikato) in notice of a question i to the Minister of Industrial Manpower. ! the Hon. A. MeLagan, in the House of | Representatives. Mr. Goosman. who said he could proid nee a letter from a manpower officer making this suggestion, asked under what regulations manpower officers were authorised to do so. PRIVILEGED WORKERS QUESTION ABOUT BUTTER (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Thursday "What steps, if any, have been taken j | by the Minister to ensure that privi- j leged sections of workers who. in future, go out on strike or do not carry out their normal day's work will not be allowed to obtain the special butter ration because of the nature of their employment!'" asked Mr. I). C. Kidd (Opposition—Waitaki) in notice of a question in the House of Representatives to the Minister of Supply, the Hon. I). G. Sullivan. In a note to his question Mr. Kidd said that go-slow tactics had been followed by State miners at two West Const mines for longer than one butter rationing period and it was felt that if thev were not working at least at normal pressure there was no justifi- ; cation /or continuing the issue of special i rations to them.