The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1942. LEADERSHIP AND LEADERS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22200, 18 February 1942, Page 4

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1942. LEADERSHIP AND LEADERS

IN announcing the complete mobilisation of Australia’s resources, human and material, the Commonwealth Prime Minister. Mr J. Curtin, said that only two things stood between Australians and the overthrow of everything thev had, or might hope to have: the heroism and fighting prowess of the men who went forward into battle and the industry, zeal and devotion of the men and women who remained behind. For himself, Mr Curtin said that he would “eschew postmortems,” and he ‘would not allow others to continue to dispute whether mistakes had been made, whether this thing or that had been done rightly or wrongly. That chapter of controversy had ended. ’ This is the only attitude that can be reasonably adopted to-day in both Australia and New Zealand. Discussion of mistakes in the emergency created by the fall of Singapore can have little more than academic interest, and in any case it must be assumed that incompetence, if there has been incompetence, will receive its deserts. It is right, of course, that criticism should be expressed, but what must be avoided is chewing the bone to the detriment of effort in essential directions. The latest decisions of the Australian Government, together with the accompanying statement by Mr Curtin, will do much to steel the resolution of Australians; they are being fully prepared for the task of defending their country. If Mr Curtin can emerge as a strong leader, and there is already indication that he is doing that, then the Commonwealth will be able to meet any test. Leadership more than anything else sustained Great Britain in the darkest days of 1940. Mr Churchill will always have the gratitude of British people for the defiant courage he exhibited when the people were bewildered by the disasters which culminated in the surrender of France. Ihe qualities of leadership he then displayed were the product of a rare fighting personality, but there is no reason why the technique he employed should not be exhibited in every British Dominion. The people, for example, can always be told the truth. 1 lie virtue of this is that it gives them confidence in their leaders. They should have the fullest idea of the nature of the task they have to do; that makes their resolution stronger. New Zealand, unfortunately, is not being led as it should be in these critical days. There was a time when Cabinet Ministers went to the microphone with a regularity which became monotonous. Now these radio performances are almost abandoned. Their resumption might be helpful, but only if the proper kind of reassuring information is given to the public. The best opportunity of establishing a strong liaison between the Government ami the people was lost recently when Parliament sat for days in secret session. Some of the matter discussed could not be published, but much of it could have been. The decision to meet in secret was the joint responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition who had been told by the Speaker of the House that he might experience difficulty in preventing dangerous matter from being broadcast. Ihe obvious solution was to abandon the broadcasting of the debates. Ihe newspapers would have published nothing helpful to the enemy, and the people would have been much more informed than they are now. The fullest stimulus cannot be imparted to the national war effort if conditions remain as they have been since Japan entered the war. The present position is that the people know next to nothing. This is the dark atmosphere in which suspicion and despondency enter into unhealthy coalition.