RELEASE OF A.I.F. VETERANS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23261, 24 July 1945, Page 5

RELEASE OF A.I.F. VETERANS

j Lively Issue In I Australia. Opposition Critical i Tin m.ijor politii.il qu.-ticn at 1 i year vr-’c tile A.! I- be dl ■ On June 1. Mr J. 13, Chill’y marie I a statement that men with five | I years' or more service would be | ; r cic;i!■’. I' i„i O',’;. - ?. I’.mn 1< iders I ■ claim that the (1 i.r-.'iunoi.t'., plan is not being 'implemented i in the Hur, i Kepresentatives last [ w*-ek 'lie Government cate.fieri .in : I Opposition at'< mpt to lor~e a debate . o;i the delavs in the release ol these I lighting vet -raiis Tm- Lee.cler of the . Opposition -.Yr I?.. G. Menzu-.i bad moved tin- nd.ioui uncnl oi Hie House I ho discuss tiio mrmcr nut the Speaker; I ruled tile motion out oi oro -r on the , i mound that there was already an item i or. ti’.e notice paper allowing a debate ' 1 on Armv releases. | The Prime Minister iMr Cliifley i said i that at. a suitable time the Governi ment would give the llonse an opportunity to discuss the question, but he : I could not promise a definite date. i Mr J. P. Abbott ■'Conntry Party. I New South Wa'a-si asked: “Will that 'be :s distant as tie- releases?" In a. i subsequent statement Mr Abbott said ; ,:n undertaking had been given on' : June 1 for the release of the five-year 1 men who had service overseas, but "veterans of the Seventh Division I entitled to discharge were shipped to i Borneo, in some cases to their death." , I Mr Menzies said that the case for discharging il-.e five-year men was! irresistible" Under modern conditions of warfare five ' ears’ cctitinucus service | w:,-s a magnificent contribution to ti’.e I country s .- il-.-iv. A sub:.'ariial part of Australia's army had not been outsidt the country, but must by now be , highly trained. Hence the problem ot j replacing veterans was not insuperable. Ordered Without Option The Opposition advocated that fiveyear men should be ordered out, and not. nu-relv given the option of discharge, added Mr Menzies. It was unit put the veterans in the position of appearing to abandon their colleagues. The “Svdnev Sun'’ in a leading article supports this view and points out that the method of direction is adopted in New Zealand to save veterans from the invidious position of making a decision which should be marie for them bv authority. The paper criticises the Government for blocking a debate on the releases. It says: “No plea of form or of pressure of business should have been allowed by Parliament to stand in the way of Justice —the release from further service of A.I.F. veterans. After all. surely Parliament could have spared five hours for the men who have fought for live years. The "Svdnev Sim' blames the "military autocracy" fm holding up the Government’s directive that the veterans be released, but a Id- that, if lie Government allowed the Army chiefs to flout its decision, it is equally to blame. The Canberra correspondent ol tin"Svdnev Sun" reports that some fiveyear men are physically unfit and rejected by their units, because they cannot be used, and are being kept in base camps doing nothing. They have been told that they must wait for a detailed policy decision on five-year releases before they can be discharged. Meanwhile, adds the “Sun." men eligible tor discharge under the Government's scheme have been sent to Borneo and some will never return.