AUSTRALIAN CABINET MEETS

Timaru Herald, Volume CL, Issue 22141, 9 December 1941, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN CABINET MEETS

(Rec. 1.50 a.m.) MELBOURNE, Dec. 8. “I ask the people of Australia to give the best they can in the service of this country,” said the Prime Minister in a statement on entering an urgent meeting of the War Cabinet to-day. Mr Curtin was told of Japan's declaration of war at 8 a.m. when he immediately summoned the War Cabinet and all the service chiefs. When the meeting dispersed at lunch time it was officially announced that Australia accepted the situation as involving a state of war with Japan with a formal declaration of war to follow. The announcement added that Australia was doing everything possible to co-operate with Britain, the United States and the other r imocratlc powers to resist the aggressors. Every step we ; being taken to place Australia on a war footing, including the closing of all Australian ports at a moment', notice. Leave for the fighting services in Australia has been cancelled. All S’ate Governments held emergency meetings and made final arrangements to cope with attack from the air, also a round-up of the remaining Japanese nationals for internment where found desirable. Mr Curtin said after the meeting of the War Cabinet to-night that Parliament was being called together on Tuesday and the War Cabinet again to-morrow. Additional appreciation of the situation now called for the Government taking the view that the Pacific war was not an incident in the general war, but was itself a new war. Mr Curtin added: “It makes necessary a complete revision of the whole strategy of the general war.” The Cabinet, he said, decided to-day to cancel all leave for troops, to prohibit entirely all pleasure consumption of petrol and that work should continue throughout the holidays in all essential services. The use of public transport services would be restricted to necessary purposes thereby conserving coal and petrol for industry. The supply department had been asked to advise the Government what establishments should be allowed to trade after 6 pm. to effect a saving of lighting and power. Mr Ward, Minister of Labour, will proceed to Darwin to deal with labour supply organisation r.t that port. Plans for the extension of the present partial mobilisation are being considered. New steps are being taken by the A.RP. Dr. H. V. Evatt, Minister for External Affairs, said Australia to-day had declared war on Finland, Hungary and Rumania in a new form, the declaration of a state of war being made by the King on the advice of the Commonwealth Government. This. Dr Evatt said, was in line with the Canadian practice of exercising the responsibilities of self-government ta international relations.