AID FOR BRITAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24328, 19 June 1940, Page 6

AID FOR BRITAIN

REPEATED OFFERS AN URGENT REQUEST PROMPT RESPONSE (From Our Parliamentary'- llbpobter) WELLINGTON, June 18. “ Since Germany invaded Belgium, the New Zealand Government has repeatedly offered further assistance to the Home Government and has asked in what way it could help best," said the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser) in an interview to-night.-Tlie Prime Minister added that other than grateful acknowledgment of the repeated offers mrde, no definite reply had been received on this point until last Friday, when an urgent request was received for further specialist railway, forestry and engineering companies. Emphasising that to-day it was necessary to think in minutes rather than in weeks or months, Mr Fraser said the request was not received until 9.30 a.m. last Friday. The Cabinet was called for 9.45 with the chiefs of the armed forces present, with the result that the Chief of the General Staff. Major-general J. E, Duigan, left 10 minutes later for Army Headquarters to make preliminary arrangements for the despatch of these men. The representative of the navy present left at the same time to institute inquiries concerning transports. “In about an hour,” the Prime Minister said, “preliminary arrangements were being discussed with these officers by the Ministers of Defence, Railways and Public Works, the commissioner of State forests and departmental officers. In the early afternoon appeals to join up were forwarded by telephone to various railway workshops and other railway branches. The army made inquiries about the number of men available and the Minister of Defence (Mr Jones) broadcast an appeal that night. . Before the . day closed about two-thirds of the personnel was in sight and the Government was in a position to inform the United Kingdom Government that not , only had it agreed to the request forwarded,’ but the arrangements were in hand and the process of forming the corps was in operation. “On Sunday a message conveying the cordial the British Government was received by the Prime Minister for the prompt action taken in assisting the Motherland in her hour of need.”