Government To Be Asked For Frank Statement

Chronicle (Levin), 3 July 1946, Page 8

Government To Be Asked For Frank Statement

— Press Association

. By Telegraph

WELLINGTON, July 2. ""Will the people of New Zealand be given a frank statement 011 why 10,000,000 llis. of butter are to go to the Amerieans and not • to Britain?" This question will he put to- the Government tomorrow by offieials of the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Union. If an unsatisfactory reply is received, the watersiders may refuse to load the first consignmcnt of butter for San Francisco into the Mariposa at Auckland this week. Waterside union offieials said today the explanation given. by the Prime Minister to the House, does not allay snspiciolis about factors behind the deal.

"News of the sale of this New Zealand butter to America was dropped like an atomie bomb into the heart of the Dominion's Food for Britain campaign," declared Mr. T. Hill, secretary of the New Zealand W at erside W orkers ' Union. "Notwithstanding tlie Prime Minister 's statement about the British Government finally having consented to this diversion of butter from Britain and the reported arrangement for an equivalent amount of fats to go to Britain from the United States, there are questions the watersiders, and in fact thousands of people all over the country, are asking. • "Why ean we not be given a frank statement Y Why in the lirst place, sliould we have learnt about this amazing deal from a chance referenee by I)r. Editli Summerskill in Britain? If tlie whole thing has a reasonable explanation, then the people of New Zealand should have been told at once by the Government. Why should the Government witlihold sucli vital facts about the dispo&ai of Ihe country 's butter at a time wheu Ihe product is sevei'ely rationed and when people are denying themselves still furtlier 1 o save coupons to help Britain? Is tliis a foretaste of Bretton Woods? is pressure being brought to bear from America that Britain sliould be obliged to consent to this diversion of our butter? And whai priec are we receiving for it ? We are placing dollars hefore the empty stomaehs of our fcllow dock workers in Britain.

"These are only some of the questions that niust be answered. They are being insistently asked. "It should be noted that a mcdical authority has stated i-ationing in New Zealand is leading to a eertain amount of malnutrition among children. AVhy should they suffer that to feed Amei'ican natiouals who have practically eliminated rationing in tlieir country? There are other dlsquioting* features about tlie inicrnational food situation. For iustanee, although New Zealanders are cutting butter consumption even below the present ration to send more still to Britain, how many of.us realise the fact that while the poor British housewife queues up for her meagre ration, the rich woman and her family may dine at rcstauraiits and hotels where not a question is asked about coupons. Even more disquieting on the food horizon was the sailing of the Rimutaka from New Zealand with a ViceRegal motor car and "luggage." When the Rimutaka left fot* Britain at Easter we investigated the fact that slie was not fully loaded with food and were toki loading would be completed at Melbourne. It was not till the workers took aetion there that the' full facts about the Rimutaka were revealed. Again it should be reiterated on behalf of the New Zealand Waterside Workers ' Union that it is dissatisfied with many aspeets of the handling of the food shortage situation. As we have previously stated," we bolieve international markets are the dominating factor in the distribution of food — not the needs of the peoples of the world. We have noted the fact that some of New Zealand 's food has been going to Europe instead of Britain but that is understand'able because the British people are sacrificing their own larders to help the European millions to get off the starvation line. What we cannot yet understand, however, is why our butter should go to America. "We appreeiate the difficulties confronting the Government in negotiations with the United States and are satisfied that a fuller statement on the facts behind these negotiations will do mnch to allay the suspicions of the watersiders and others. The watersiders ask for a satisfaetory explanation. If it is not forthcoming they may becompelled to take the aetion they took at a vital stage in the country history some years ago

when they refused to handle scrap iron for Japan. "The National President, Mr. H. Barnes, will be in Wellington tomorrow and we plan to make an investigation and if necessary we shall ask our organisation to take appropriate aetion. The future may shape events in such a way as to throw on to the shoulders of watersiders the responsibility of determining the destiny our primary pfoducts in th'is world of chaos.'"' AiNAjb*