REPLY TO PRIME MINISTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 86, 13 April 1940, Page 8

REPLY TO PRIME MINISTER

MR. BARNARD S VIEWS STIMULATING RECRUITING L Per Press Association. | WELLINGTON, April 12. “Members of the Select 1-arliamen-e taiy Committee on Defence are willing e to stimulate recruiting wherever it is backward,” stated the chairman ol the committee, Mr. W. E. Barnard, MJ in the course of a letter sent to the Prime Minister, the Hon. F. Fraser, ? to-night in reply to Mr. Fraser’s telegram to him published to-day. Mr. Barnard released a co P y of h ; > r letter to the Press to-night. Tne text f is: “I acknowledge youi telegram, which I was roused out of bed to rt- -] ceive last (Thursday) night. Notwith standing tiie information which you ) have received it is clear the services _ of returned soldier members ol Parliament have been scarcely utilised at ail ) except possibly in a very i’ew isolated ; instances or as curtain-raisers to you* I own meeting. No official arrange- ■ meats have oeen made or encourage--3 ment given for them to address ici cruiting meetings through the Do- - minion. Are we to infer tnat it is not . intended to offer such facilities? If not, » why? No. 7 Area, winch includes .. Napier and district, has, without any pressure, raised more than it o quota j for all three- ecnelons, and, 1 am in- _ formed, has supplied 150 men lor tne ! Second Echelon to make up cleficien- . cies in the quotas of olii*?r -hstricls. • This method of balancing up recruit- . ing is open to obvious objection. Members of the Select Parliamentary Com- . mittee on Defence are willing to • stimulate recruiting wherever it is s backward. In regard to my own poslz Lion, you nave entirely misinterpreted - my attitude—l hope not wilfully. } When you or the National Executive, to whom you have delegated the task, . have replied to my original letter, J • shall state the full case to the people i of Napier and the Dominion and cieai ' up your own misconstruction and any i other. May I point out that the . present war is the concern of every - New Zealander? It is not ?,i private . matter for you and Cabinet alone. I . cannot help feeling that you do not . sufficiently appreciate the worth in the ' present crisis of the service which i cotild be rendered by men in or out of , Parliament who fought for their country in the last world war, and who I have an abiding and honourable place : in the hearts of their fellow New Zealanders. If that, service is to be of full avail, definite arrangements • must be made for its utilisation, and ■ no personal feeling or prejudice should be allowed to stand in the way of this , °bious duty.”