SIX YEARS OF WASTE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25299, 5 September 1945, Page 8

SIX YEARS OF WASTE

WAR'S LESSON PEACE ]NDIVISIBLE MR ATTLEE SPEAKS DUTIES OF YICTOES MAKING WORLD SECUBE LONDON, Sept. 3 "The Japanese, the last of our enemies whose ambitions plunged the world into so much bloodshed ancl misery, yesterday signed the surrender terms. Thus Japan's long course of imperialistic and military aggression has ended," said the Prime Minister, Mr At flee, in a broadcast tonight. "We should again acknowledge the debt we owe to the men of our own country, from the Dominions. India and the colonies, and from the United States, who, fighting not only against a ruthless and barbarous enemy, but against appalling natural .conditions, brought about this great event. To the men of the Army, Navy and Air Force we pay a tribute, but perhaps at this time •we should express our intense satisfaction that at long last the ordeal of the Chinese people has been terminated. Prelude- to World War "The Japanese action in Manchuria started the train of events which culminated in the world war. Failure to deal with this first breach of the peace destroyed the authority of the League of Nations, in which the generation which fought in the first world war put their faith. The lesson that peace is indivisible and can only be preserved by the resolute maintenance of the rule of law throughout the world should have been learned in 1918. The world after then experienced a second world war, more grievous than the first. The lesson that Was not learned in 1918 must be learned today. "Six years ago today the sirens first sounded in London. We since then have known all the vicissitudes of war. The British Commonwealth from the start to the finish has been in the war and has taken a full share in every continent. We may well be proud of the efforts of our men and women at Home and in the Dominions, India and the , colonies. A*t no time when things were darkest had there been any failure of resolution or any whimper in the face of loss. Six Years of Waste "We are now emerging from those six years of waste, for, from the viewpoint of the progress of civilisation, war is nothing' but waste," Mr Attlee continued. "It is true that the darkness of - destruction has been illuminated by many ""examples of magnificent courage and selfless devotion. "We have seen an unsurpassed exhibition of national unity. We have demonstrated to the world what is the strength of free peoples, but against this we must set the terrible losses. \\ e have lost many of the finest^ of our youth, whom we can ill spare. There is not only private grief, which desolates many homes, but the public loss of irreplaceable human beings. We are 'Buffering todav from the loss of those who died in 1914-18. We assuredly in the future will feel the lack of those who perished that civilisation might continue. Trials Overcome "We have won a great victory. We can share wholeheartedly our triumph with the Dominions and our Allies, and we need yield pride of place to none in the length and endurance and in the severity of the trials we have encountered and overcome and in the extent to which we have put at the service of humanity our resources. "But our triumph will be empty and short-lived if we do .not take to heart the lessons which our sufferings have taught and the heavy responsibility that . victory entails. We have seen the garnered fruits of years of toil destroyed and dispersed in a few years. Unless we can set on the other side gains in the progress of the human spirit and in the growth of a new conception of .human society, those losses will be in vain. Today, more than ever before, looking back on six years of waste and carnage, we should pledge ourselves anew to build up a-world order in which all nations •may dwell in security. The development of weapons of immense destructiveness, culminating in the release of the atomic bomb, has made this matter not merely desirable, but vital for the future of civilisation. Much Now to be Done "It will be our task, .in the closest association with other nations, to seek to establish a world order in which war shall forever be banished. Our rejoicing must be tempered with a full realisation of the gravity of the problems that confront us in the era now opening. This is no time for relaxation, tempting as this is after years of strain. I recognise to the full how weary are those who have borne, the labour and heat of the day, but in any race it is the last lap that counts, and before we can rest there is much to be done. "I want, therefore, to make plain to you some of the responsibilities we must shoulder. It is natural that all of us desire the return as soon as possible of the men in the armed forces, Jhe Government is resolved to do its utmost, but I have never encouraged you to think that the end of hostilities would mean the immediate release of all the men and women in the armed forces. Victor's Responsibilities

"While conditions fire so unsettled in Europe we must continue to find large forces for the occupation of the British zone in Germany. The most difficult period of the occupation is likely to he the coming winter, when inevitable shortages of food, fuel and raw material will be disturbing influences. We must take our share in establishing conditions in Europe which will allow reconstruction without violence. We have commitments in South-east Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle Kast. "These responsibilities fell on us as the victor. Our sole endeavour is to enable the will of the people to prevail and to assist in the establishment everywhere of Governments resting on popular consent. It is a difficult and perhaps a thankless task, but we have to perform it. "There are. too. obligalionn in the East. We will have to see the establishment of order in Burma and parts of the British Commonwealth which were overrun by the Japanese, and in which peaceful administration can only be restored by the support, if necessary, of armed force. Restoration in Pacific "The occupation of Japan and the restoration of the territories of ourselves and our Allies will need substantial forces for some time to come. We must also maintain at the present time the garrisons of the vital fortresses along the network of our sea and air communications. There is, in addition the responsibility of the Royal Navy for the tasks of clearing mines, salvage and the disposal of wrecks, and there are heavy commitments for the emergency transport of men and supplies which will be difficult to meet with the depleted world shipping.

"Tims the maintenance of adequate sea, nir and ground forces is vitally necessary if we are to fulfil our obligations to our Allies and if we are to see what was won in the war is not lost in the immediate post-war period. "One of the prime difficulties of the situation after the last war was the inability of the Powers who won to provide the necessary forces for the prevention of violent action by sectional interests pending the completion of negotiations |or world peace. We must not fail tlie world. We have fought for democracy and we must ensure that the conditions for its exercise exist. "All this reacts on our situation here today. We planned for a possible continuance of the Japanese war for some months longer. The fact that it ended before we anticipated means adjustment, but such adjustment cannot be effected in a moment. The return of our men to civil life, of course, is helped by this event, but the full effects cannot be realised immediately. Britain's Manpower Problem

"A detailed statement on demobilisation will be made soon," said Mr Attlee. "Some recent statements have been too optimistic. Nevertheless, men and women are already being released from the forces twice as fast as last month, and an average of 45,000 weekly will be discharged for the rest of the year. I ask all men and women who may have to stay to do routine duty for some time yet, to be patient. We will release you as soon as possible, but don't be apprehensive that you will be kept longer than is absolutely necessary. "We are desperately short of manpower. To meet the continuing needs of the services men between the ages of 18 and 30 are being called up, unless they are urgently needed as key men in the vital work of reconstruction. In particular, we are calling up those who are now being released from munitions industries. 5,000,000 More Workers Needed "To restore employment in civilian and export manufacture and in nonmanufacturing industries and to bring those services to the 1939 pre-war level we require an increase of about 5,000,000 workers. There need be no doubt therefore that there is ample room for absorbing the maximum number of men and women who can be released from the forces. The review ol military requirements is being pursued with all speed. "We have to consult the Dominions and our Allies, also to bear in mind transport facilities. Workers and management® must improvise as they did throughout the war if we are to avoid on the one hand unnecessary suffering and on the other hold our own in the •world. We fought a great fight. We gave our all for victory. Over all the hardships and daVigers that the future may hold, by the co-operation of the people and Government. Britain will triumph." CHANGE IN COMMONS CALIBRE OF MEMBERS TALENT AND ENTHUSIASM (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) LONDON, Sept. ;s Parliament is in recess until October 9. Ail comment, meanwhile, emphasises that the new House of Commons, which assembled last month for the first time, revealed a more radical change than could have been gathered from the election figures alone. The attendance was high, attention was. keen and a succession of maiden speeches was remarkable for its quality-as well as its volume. Commenting, the Economist says: "it is now becoming apparent that the new Labour member is a very different animal from the old—and* by the same token from the Labour Minister. The gulf between the Treasury bench and the back benches must be greater today than at any other time in Parliamentary history. This is not merely a gulf of age, but of character. The typical Labour Minister is an elderly, cautious trade unionist, whose formal education stopped at the age of 12 or lower. The typical Labour member is a keen, intelligent young professional man, with a brilliant University career behind him." The New Statesman and Nation says that the Government is almost embarrassed by tlie profusion of competence, expertness and talent. It adds: "The old type of 'working class' M.P. may soon disappear. Secondary education and war service have combined to produce the remarkable result that one could not tell from listening to 45 Labour maiden speakers who was of working and who was of middle-class origin. Even more important, the question seemed irrelevant. They were all Socialists—and they were all experts on some facet of home or world politics. In a sense this is the first Parliament of technicians—and that may be the most revolutionary thing about it." Mr Vernon Bartlett, M.P., in the Spectator, comments on the "whirlwind of enthusiasm" sweeping through the Palace of Westminster, and says that the newcomers have been self-confident and clear, and almost without exception have made speeches interesting in themselves.

"So many of them have high intellectual attainments," he states. "They have commanded men in critical and 'dangerous situations; they have experience of international administration; they are young and are not ashamed to have ideals." NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST BRITISH RELATIONS (Hoed. 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 4 'The British, representatives in Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia have been called home for talks with the Foreign Secretary, Mr Ernest Bevin. The British Ambassador in Cairo was due back in London yesterday and the Ambassador to Bagdad has been home for some weeks. It is expected that Mr Bevin will review problems in the Near and Middle East, as well as British relations with the individual countries conceded. FLOODS IN CHINA 100,000 PEOPLE HOMELESS (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) CHUNGKING, Sept. 4 Tfae worst floods in the Chungking area, in 61 years have rendered 100,000 people homeless. MASTERPIECE RESTORED (Reed. r>.ar> p.m.) LONDON, Sept. :s The American military authorities in a ceremony ;it the Royal Palace restored to the Prince Hegent the famous Klemisb panel paintings "The Mystic Lamb" by the brothers .Lin and Hubert Van Lyck, which I lie Germans looted from the Cathedral of St. Bavin in Ghent during the occupation. TEXTILE EMPLOYMENT (Heed. p.m.) LONDON. Sept.. 1 The Ministry of Labour has abolished the system limiting the number of persons who may be employed by wool nnd textile firms. Buy your Stationery needs at the JCL —good value in medium size Writing Pads, usually Is Id each, specially reduced. 3 for Is. —John Court, Ltd., Queen St. "Auckland's Keenest, Prices." —Advt. Serve delicious nutty flavoured "Holly" Oatmeal or Rolled Oats—t,lie new process pre-cooked -breakfast cereals cooked while you set the table. —Advt. ■ Sure relief, Throat and Chest ColdsWoods Great Peppermint Cure. W. E. Woods, Ltd., Lambton Quay, Welling-ton.-—Advt.