COMPULSORY SERVICE IN AUSTRALIA IF GOVERNMENT CHANGES

Wanganui Chronicle, 7 November 1949, Page 5

COMPULSORY SERVICE IN AUSTRALIA IF GOVERNMENT CHANGES

SYDNEY, Nov. 6 (Recd. 6 pm).— The "Sunday Herald” Canberra correspondent says that if the Chifley Government is defeated at the December elections a Liberal-Country Party coalition, headed by Mr. Menzies and Mr. Fadden. will introduce compulsory military service. The correspondent adds that Messrs Menzies and Fadden have adopted an expert report presented by the Liberal Party’s defence policy committee, of which General Sir Thomas Blarney is a member. The schem? includes selective service of six months’ continuous compulsory training, a volunteer militia force to supplement compulsory trainees and a smaii regular force.

The Menzies-Fadden defence policy provides for the scrapping of the Chifley Government’s five - year defence plan which Sir Thomas Blarney has described as “a costly and useless piece of window r-essing.” T.he four main points remaining would be: (1) The conclusion of a Pacific Pact with the United States. (2) Development of Australia as the main support area for the British Commonwealth in the Pacific. (3) A joint’ Anglo-Australian defence research project in South Australia.

(4) The hydro-electric scheme in the Snowy River Mountains.