N.Z. FOODSTUFFS FOR EUROPE’S NEEDY CHILDREN

Grey River Argus, 3 June 1948, Page 5

N.Z. FOODSTUFFS FOR EUROPE’S NEEDY CHILDREN

WELLINGTON, June 2. In a broadcast, the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer, announced that, the whole of the £250,000 given by the New Zealand Government as a State contribution to the United Nations Appeal for Children had been expended in New Zealand on the following supplies:— Ordered and shipped: Fish Liver oil capsules, £29,688. Ordered and now being supplied: Malted milk powder £11,199; fish liver oil capsules £16,300; cheese £5834; evaporated milk £1390. Ordered for future delivery at various dates up to December, 1948: fish liver oil capsules £28,750; cheese £5318; skim-milk powder £20,750; evaporated milk £7916; tinned New Zealand wkalemeat £6600; macaromcheese £58,000; wool for blankets £35,000; reserve for miscellaneous items £2775. Other costs: estimated freights £13,000; reserve to cover storage and incidental* changes £6250; share of administration expenses in SouthWestern Pacific area £1250. Total. — £250,000. It would be noted that nearly £73,000 had been spent on fish liver oil, a vital protective food for children, paticularly those suffering from malnutrition and tuberculosis said the Minister. FURTHER PURCHASES —_ ■■■ “Money now being collected from the people of New Zealand would largely be used for further purchases of the san>? items, and the latest figures to hand, regarding the availability of supplies enabled Mr Nordmeyer to indicate the possibility that as much as half a million pounds, if collected, could be spent in New Zealand. “The choice of supplies was determined by United Nations Food and Health authorities who had fully explored and assessed the need. Food priorities, for instance, were as follows: — (1) Dairy products, such' as dried milk, unsweetened condensed milk and cheese; (2) Fats and oils—fish liver oil, vitamin-fortified margarine, vegetable oils, lard or sue-., and unfortified margarine; (3) meat and fish, either canned, cured, sir dried; (4) dried peas and beans, peanut butter, soya-bean flour, peanuts; (5) vitamin concentrates, yeast cocoa, sugar. > REASONABLE SHIPPING In referring to shipping, Mr Nordmeyer indicated that there would be no real difficulty in shipping all items within a reasonable time. He reminded listeners that there had been no difficulty in shipping to China and to Greece, during the last two years tens of thousands of pounds worth of bulky clothing collected by CORSO. These relief supplies, given by the people of New Zealand, had been got away without any trouble. Thousands of children ' had undoubtedly been saved from death by exposure, because of these shipments. Daily contacts were being made with the shipping authorities and allocation of shipping space for supplies for the Children’s Fund was very satisfactory. He expressed every confidence in the goodwill and cooperation of seafaring and waterfront workers. DISTRIBUTION SAFEGUARD 1 " —•» I - '■ With regard to the actual distribution of the goods Mr Nordmeyer outlined the various ' safeguards that United Nations were taking to ensure that all supplies were properly distributed and that children would 'participate, irrespective, of the religion or nofitical beliefs of their parents and that the most urgent cases were helped first. ' T believe that the distributing organisation is as water-tight ir? careful thought and ingenuity can devise,” said the Minister, who tnen concluded: — “Unless the people of the world give now as they have never given before, there will still be millions of children who will remain cold and hungry. Their need is so great, their conditions i are so appalling that it is impossible for us, at this distance, even to imagine the position. “The nations of the world have now joined together in this great cause. The existence of a complete generation is at stake. What are we going to do for these unhappy children.