JOINT PURCHASING BOARD CLOSES DOORS

Chronicle (Levin), 1 August 1946, Page 3

JOINT PURCHASING BOARD CLOSES DOORS

—Press Association

By Telegrayh-

WELLINGTON, July 31. The Uniled .States Joint Purchasing Boai'd loday closed ils head ofiiee oi Wellington. Two oi' its officers who l'Oniain will soou he gone. Major Cieorge T. Olsen will leave New Zealand by air toniorrow and the eominandiug offieur, Ool. C. D. .McOoll, will leave by siuj) about August 15. Thev are the last oi" thousands of niembers of the I'niteu .States forees who have been in New Zealand on wartime duties in the last four years. The few New Zealanders remaining in the eniploy of the Board, euded their serviee today, The Board was fornied on July I, .1942 to supplv, in so far as possible, the ( roops iu the South Pacilie Area from New Zealand and save sliipping from Ameriea. All the g'oods supplied to the United States troo]>s in New Zealand, and the services provided for them, were procured by the L'.S.J.P.B. At the peak of its aetivities in 1944, it was spending about £2,09(1, 00(J monthly and was employing 25,000 people all of whom were New Zealanders except about 150 Amerieans. The total aid to the war eifort furnished by New Zealand through the L'.S.J.P.B., was worth £80,700,000. (.'oi. yivColl, who eaine to New Zealand in Novemher, 1942, said great vonlidenre in each other had grown up between the officers of the Board and the New Zealand officials with whom thev had to deal. ''For the lirst six months we were down here, thev thought. we were cra/.y,'; ]ie said. "The next six months tliey were not so sure. After tllat we could have sold them a bad idea, so great was their conJidence in us. ' ' The Board liad been extremely grate ful for the cooperation it received from (iovernment Departments.