FULL CO-OPERATION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 June 1942, Page 2

FULL CO-OPERATION

SOUGHT FROM AUSTRALIAN UNIONS IN PROSECUTING WAR NEED OF SELF-RELIANT EFFORT. AFFIRMED BY MR CURTIN. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. The Prime Minister, Mr J. Curtin, yesterday presided over a conference of representatives of 85 Federal industrial unions, with a membership of more than a million, with the object of seeking their full co-operation in the war effort. Mr F. M. Forde, the Army Minister, and Mr J. B. Chifley, the Treasurer, also spoke. Tomorriw the conference will be addressed by the Labour Minister, Mr E. J. Ward. Mr Curtin placed the war position frankly before the conference, saying, that neither the Government nor the country could make substantial progress on projects in the Government’s mind unless the unions identified themselves closely with those projects. The war had produced problems of whit* Australia had no experience. Therefore there had to be experiment, trial and error. Success would come to the Allies only by their being stronger than the Axis, which could not be beaten by the Allies having a better post-war programme or a better housing programme. Australia had obtained a merciful respite as a result of the Coral Sea and Midway Island battles. Japan was now playing the part of a valuable friend to Germany in the war against Russia. After reviewing events in Libya, Mr Curtin referred to shipping problems, saying the surest way for Australia to get war requisites was within Australia. The Government had no right to ask for planes from overseas when it could not get full capacity aircraft production in Australia. The Australian Prime Minister, whoever he might be, could not be asked to evade giving his best mind and all his vitality in collaboration with other countries. The first demand Australia must make was on Australia. The programme would Involve hurts but the Government could not help that.