WAR ASSETS DISPOSAL

Chronicle (Levin), 23 September 1946, Page 7

WAR ASSETS DISPOSAL

°res$ ' Association

Authorities' Yast Problem MINISTER EXPLAINS METHODS

Bv Telearavh — 1

WELLINGTON,' Sept. 22. When the war with|. Japan end'ed, the New Zealand Arniy held s.tores. valued ' at £(59,000,000. The, disposal or redistribution of this -vagt ..amount of material presented an involved problem auT how it has heen -tackled vvas explained by ..the' Minister of Defence, iion. l'\ Jones, tonight. Among the stores -' were £13,000,000 worth of gun ammunition, £14,UO(J,000 worth of motor transx)ort of special vyar types (including £9,000,000 worth oi' tanks and £3,000,000 ivorth of Si>are ' parts), and £3,000,000 worth of siuall arms amin.uhition, gun^ and smtil] arms. The material f(jll. into three seetions: . Equipment and. w.ar stores for the j Division ih italv,. equipmeht aud stores vvhich liad been sent to the Pacilic with the 3rd. Division but whicli had been returued to.New Zealand, and equipment and stores retaiued in Nevv Zehland for the servicing of troops in the Uuminion if occasion arose, br for the feplenishment of stores used in a;iy tlieatres of war by eitlier New Zealand. or British forces". > • New Zealand 's one Division in ihe field on VJ Day- vvas in italv.' There ihe store situation was relatively easy to settle. The Division was iu possqs* sion of equipment and property of New' Zealand vvhich had cost £4, 000, 000 plus the expensive and elaborate equipment. of Ihe i'ourth Armoured Brigade vvhich was of Lease-lend origin and had been ; received t'rom .the stores of the United Kingdom. OT New Zealqud's own equipment approxiinately one-third w'ae sent to J iipan for the nse of ; the J Force. Of the remaiiiiler, selecfed items ' of vvhich Nevv. Zealand 'was short? were returued to the- Douiinion. This selec-. liou comprised in the. main ahti-tanlf guins of a design of vvhich none; were ! held in the country, some automatie ■ I weapons, and' a larg'e quautity of medir cal stores,. some of whicli were. used to complete war reserves and some made i available .for disposal through civilian . chauels. The rest of these stores vvere handed over to the representative of the British Ministry ot" yiipply for disposal on behaif of the Nevv Zealand Oovernment. Large quantities were transi'erred to Unrra and beeame a valuable contributioh. in kind to the Donunion 's obligation in -maiutaining tliat organisation. Other quantities wero sold at market prices to the Italian community i'or rehabilitution in that country. The remaining stores of no direct. application to civil ' life, were sold for scrap. TUe.armour in use by the Division, whicli was the property j of the British Oovernment, was return- | ed and an appropriato.adjustiqent made i by the British Oovernment ■ with the : Oovernment of the United States. 'Ihe Pacilic equipment was retrurned and distributed to ordnance stores depots throughout iew Zealand. Because of the nature ,of the cainpaign, tropical climate in vvhich it was fought, and almost complete lach- of nornial cargo haudling gear, u considerable amount of labour vvas required to Te conditiou many of tlie items. A certain amount of wofk still remeined to be | done. All motor transport returued j l'rom this source had not }'et been com- j pletely overhauled. The Army had , declared through. the War Assets Bealisution Board, 240 separate scliedulesi compfising 11,700 line3 valued at over £750,000. Besides tho ordnance stores, mutor transport veliicles and parts had been dispb.sed.of to the value of £040,000. Two million gallons of petrol had been diverted to civil soutces. In i uuother lield 19,000 buildings Compris- 1 ing 1540 portable huts and 800 buildings of other types (these last have a value of £175,0000) had been disposed of. j 'Mt must not be overlooked," said ! Mr. Jones, "that vve are still doing exI tensive provisioning for other armies ftiul serviees of the British Commonwealth through our defence serviees' . provision otlice. This organisation is liolding stores to the value of £1,400,000 which are awaiting shii>ment. Tn addition it is hoiding stores to the value of £3,700,000 whicli are being disposed of in this country through the Wai; Assets iiealisation Board. On behaif of the United Kingdom, stores to the value of j approximately £2,800,0(30, the property of the British Government, are beiug held in this theatre as a strategical | rescrve. " ! Obviously, said Mf. Jones, it was' neeessary to retain personel for thc adequale care and mnintenance of thc stores.. . He emphasised the difliculty -aml importance of that task. ' t i ■