With a voice changed in tone by age, Peter Fraser has spoken. Attempting to avoid putting the issue to popular vote, he tried to get blanket approval from the Labour Party Conference to conscript young New Zealand. But since it is to be put to the popular vote, we might as well investigate the reasons Peter has put forward for supporting the "yes" vote.

War?

1. "Mr. Fraser said they thought when the United Nations was founded it would mean the end of war or conditions that would lead to war. 'The tragedy is that peace has not been established.'"

—"Evening Post." 24/5/49.

Please compare:

"'The danger of another war seemed to have disappeared,' said Dr. Evatt, who arrived in Australia last night."

—"Evening Post."

"The possibilities of war had receded even further than they were 12 months ago, said Mr.: Chifley, addressing the Annual Conference of the N.S.W. branch of the A.L.P."

—"Evening Post." 13/6/49.

Who Wants War?

2. "As long as others wanted to impose their will by force, protection was necessary."

—P. Fraser, "Evg, Post," 21/5/49.

What others? Could it be the Russians?

"In the U.N. General Assembly to-day Russia proposed . . . that the commission for convention on armaments draft a treaty for the prohibition of atomic weapons by June 1 . . . and that the commission draw-up a plan whereunder the five Big Powers would reduce all armaments by one-third by March 1, 1950."

—"Evening Post." 10/2/49.

"Moscow radio commentator Leonidov has challenged the British Foreign Minister to quote a single fact showing that the Soviet Union has ever threatened Britain, France, the United States, or any other country participating in the North Allantic Pact."

"—Evening Post." 1/4/49.

"Dr. F, J. Miles, international secretary of the (anti-communist) Russian Mission Society, in an interview in Invercargill . . . declared emphatically that Soviet Russia was not bent on waging another war. She was looking forward to years of peace to enable her to recover from the devastations of the Nazis ..."

—"Standard." 18/3/19.

None of the Western nations, of course, "wanted to Impose their will by force"?

"In as much as the Russians appear to be achieving great successes in the place . . . the conflict would have to be of our own making, sparked eventually by some 'event' either in Berlin or elsewhere in Europe where Russia and the West may come into conflict." "Canadian Monetary Times" quoted in "Standard," 17/2/49.

3. "There are huge number living by war under the war-lords in China, and that is the force that is on the border of Burma now." Peter Fraser, "Evening Post." 24/5/49.

Compare this view with that of one who has actually lived in China:

"Many of the leading Christians in China are thanking God for the rapid victory of the Popular Army as being the only means for the Chinese people to get peace and reconstruction." Dr. T. O. Chao. Dean of Religion at Yenching University. "Salient." 8/6/49

"There is no evidence of direct material aid by the Russians to the Communist forces." A. T. Skele in "N.Y. Herald-Tribune," quoted in "Salient." 8/6/49.

"The chairman of the US Atomic Energy Commission told the House Sub-Committee to-day that the US was making better atomic bombs and making them faster than ever before."—"Evening Post." 13/4/49.

"A government spokesman said it was no secret that Chinese Nationalist troops were being supplied with Canadian rifles, bombers and other military equipment."

—"Evening Post." 14/11/48.

"Thomas Reynolds cables from Athens: 'American intervention has been completed . . . American officers with wide experience in warfare tactics . . . will occupy posts as advisers to the army command. The UK commanders are not bound to accept their advice but should such a case arise they would probably find themselves one fine day without ammunition ..."

—"New York P.M.," 20/11/47.

"(If the USSR withdrew from UN' . . . the globe would openly be divided into two worlds and our own world would see with full clarity the need for constant enhancement of its might. Translating this into the language of business we would have an armaments boom in the course of which the production of war weapons would not be limited to the requirements of our own country, but would also envisage the supply of arms on profitable terms to Western Europe and the Pacific countries." "Barron's Weekly" (NY Business Journal) during 1947.

The Cock Crew . . .

"Mr. Peter Fraser was unanimously elected secretary of the important Anti-Conscription Conference which met in Wellington during the third week of December."

—Maoriland Worker. January, 1947.

"The Prime Minister, Mr. Peter Fraser, asked the NZ Labour Party's Annual Conference to-day to endorse a policy of compulsory national service."

—Evening Post, May 24, 1949.