VICTORY FOR MR CURTIN

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15241, 6 January 1943, Page 3

VICTORY FOR MR CURTIN

DECISIVE MAJORITY GAINED. United Press Assn.—By Elect jTr Telegraph— Copyright. SYDNEY, Jan. 5. By a two to 014. majority the speciul I ederal Labour Conference today endorsed Mr Curtin’s proposal to amend the Defence .Vet to extend the use of compulsorily called-up militia to any territory i n the Southwest Pacific. The motion carried, by the conference was: “That having regard to the paramount necessity of Australia’s defence the Government he authorised to add to the Defence Act in the definition of the Commonwealth which at present do fines the territories to which this Act extends, the following words: ‘and such other territores in the South-west Pacific area as the Gover-nor-General proclaims as being associated with the defence of Australia’ .** No difficulty is expected in obtaining the passage of the necessary Defence Act amendment when Parliament meets later this month. The decision of the conference not •vithstanding speeches thereat bj certain bitter opponents of any form of conscription is regarded as an enliancmcnt of Mr Curtin’s prestige throughout the Labour movement. Mr Curtin sprang, the above motion as a surprise on the last Federal Labour Conference on November 18 when the delegates, taking tlie view that they had no instructions from their State executives how to vote 011 such a matter, decided that a specflal Federal Conference be called on January 4 pending specific directions. Meantime the State executives met, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and West Australia deciding to instruct their delegates to support Mr Curtin, Victoria and Queensland opposing. The Federal Conference met in Melbourne on Monday when though the decision was a foregone conclusion, for supporting Mr Curtin, his opponents succeeded in delaying the final vote until today. One curious feature of the conference was the action of the Queensland' State executive, one of tlie opposing States, changing its delegates without l changing its policy of oppostion to Mr Curtin’s plans. One of Queensland’s new delegates was Mr Forgan Smith, ex-Premier, who while carrying out Ids executive’s decision to oppose tlie amendment to the Defence Act, deliver**!* » spech strongly defending Mr Curtin and endeavouring to avoid a split in the Labour movement over the issue. “I warn you all,” Mr Smith said, “that if Japan wins there* will be no Labour movement to split.” Closing the debate, Mr Curtin said lie felt that his proposal was necessary for the proper conduct of the war and would be a contribution, to victory. There was a great outburst of chee-rring when the president announced that Mr Curtin’s motion was carried.