WAR CONTRIBUTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 May 1940, Page 4

WAR CONTRIBUTION

CONTRACTS FULFILLED. “The dairy produce agreement was similar. The amount of butter which the United Kingdom undertook to buy was 115.000 tons for this season, and the amount of cheese 84,009 tons. The same proviso as to additional quantities applied here as with meat.

“The meat and the dairy produce agreement was made for one year only, and not for the whole period of the war. Each of these agreements has to be renewed each year. I hope we may make an arrangement shortly for these agreements to continue for the duration of the war.

“With wool only did the United Kingdom undertake to purchase the whole of what we could produce, and this is not only for one year but for the whole period of the war and with some qualifications for one season afterward. This does not mean that the price is fixed for the whole period: this may be reviewed from time to time in the light of economic or other conditions.

“The important thing is. have we in New Zealand fulfilled this contract? Have we produced and exported this season the amounts which the British Government undertook to purchase? And in considering whether we have produced this amount, we must also note that more than 30,000 men have been withdrawn from production and are either in camp or overseas. Despite this withdrawal of more than 30,000 men production has not only been sustained, but it has gone up.” FIGURES OF PRODUCTION. Mr Nash said that killings of mtat for export this season up to May 11 were 10.683,144 freight carcases, compared with killings of 9,589.825 freight carcases at approximately the same date last season. This meant that there had been an increase of more than 1,000,000 freight carcases, all of which were destined for the United Kingdom. Last season at this time there were held in New Zealand 3,872,991 carcases: this season there were 4,394.970. That meant that stocks had gone up by approximately 500.000 freight carcases, which meant that New Zealand had not only shipped away the same amount of meat as it did last year, but it had increased those shipments to date by half of the increased killings. •The United Kingdom undertook to purchase only 300,000 tons for this season. The country’s production this season, including the carry-over from last year, would be nearly 30 per cent in excess of that. In actual figures the estimated quantity available was 85,000 tons in excess of what the agreement stipulated. The position with butter and cheese was similar. Gradings of butter for export for the nine months ended April 30 this season were 125,000 tons compared with 118,127 tons for the previous season, representing an increase of nearly 7000 tons of butter. Stocks of butter on hand at April 30 this year were 34.000 tons, compared with stocks of 23,000 tons at the same date last season, representing an increase of 11,000 tons. With butter it had not been possible to get away to date the increased production, but the authorities were confident that if all went according to plan this amount would be shipped. Here again New Zealand had produced this season more butter for export than the quantity the United Kingdom undertook to buy. CHEESE SITUATION. The same was true of cheese. Not only had production been maintained, it had been increased. For the nine months ended April 30. this season the gradings of cheese for export were 84,705 tons, compared with 76.000 last year, an increase of more than 8000 tons of cheese. It had been possible to get at least half of this increase away. Stocks of cheese at April 30 .this season were 28,800 tons, compared with stocks of 24.700 tons last year, being an increase of 4100 tons. In cheese, too, New Zealand produced this season 100,000 tows more than the United Kingdom undertook to buy.

“There are two products in particular' in which increased production is called for,” said Mr Nash. “One is the production of cheese and the other is the production of pig meat, particularly baconers. During the depression this country rapidly increased its production of pigs. We want to reach these record figures again and even surpass them. The policy is to increase dairy production with the stress on the production of cheese, and to increase meat production with the stress on pig meat.” MILITARY EFFORT. Dealing with the country's I’nilitary effort to date Mr Nash said that many beople sincerely believed that conscription was the best policy. They were quite entitled to their beliefs, and they were Tree to express them if they so desired. But they were not entitled to infer, as many had inferred, that the voluntary system had proved a failure. It had not failed. On the contrary it had been, up to the present time, an unqualified success. To date nearly 50,000 men had offered their services in some military capacity. Of these more than 40,000 (inclusive of Maoris) had enlisted for overseas service in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. More than 22.000 had been despatched to camp, a considerable proportion of whom had already proceeded overseas. A further echelon was now being trained, while more than 1500 fit men were in surplus to what could be trained. Nearly 3000 Territorials and members of the National Military Reserve had been mobilised for home defence purposes. The number of recruits for the Air Force since the war began was 10.000. Nearly half of these were already in training or in service in New Zealand or overseas. The New Zealand personnel of the Royal 'Navy numbers more than 1600. The training facilities wore at present being more than fully taxed. MAXIMUM ASSISTANCE. “I give you my assurance that so far as our military effort is concerned, it is impossible for this or any other Government to assist the Mother Country to a greater extent than is already being done.” said Mr Nash. "Those who feel that insufficient has been accomplished would do well to remember that before men can be sent overseas they must be trained, and before they can leave New Zealand, transports and convoys must be available.

“They should remember also that at the beginning of the war the Government did not hesitate to place the entire resources of the Dominion at the disposal of the United Kingdom, We

gave the Old Country an unqualified assurance that as far as was humanly and physically possible we would'do everything that she wished us to do in the interests of our common cause. We have carried out that undertaking in its, entirety. There has been no request which the Old Country has made, whether for men or supplies, which New Zealand has not unhesitatingly fulfilled. We will continue to adhere steadfastly to that principle. Nor should the fact be overlooked that anxious as we are to play dur part in France or Flanders oi’ wherever men are needed, we have an equally ‘important duty in maintaining production and essential services.

“It is clear that our military effort on the one hand and our economic effort on the other are closely interdependent and one cannot be pushed too far without injury to the other. Our economy today is much more complex than was the case in 1914. Today we have a much greater' need for skilled men upon whom depends our industrial life and the means of supplying Britain with vital goods. "Since there is every likelihood of the war being a long one, we must guard against the danger of starting off on a too grandiose scheme that will be difficult, if not impossible to keep up without seriously weakening our economy. Some conception of the drain on our manpower which the war, even at this early stage, has involved can be gained from the fact that each echelon which leaves New Zealand is equivalent in numbers to the total population of a town the size ol Oamaru, including men, women and children. DEFENCE OF DOMINION. “Wo have, in addition, a further duty of making sure that our own shores remain adequately defended. At the moment we might feel ourselves relatively secure from attack; the events of the last few weeks, however, have shown how quickly and suddenly developments may take place and have emphasised the necessity of being prepared and ready for any eventuality. "We must be prepared not only to work harder but to forgo many luxuries and pleasures to which we have become accustomed ... I believe that our resources, our courage, and our determination will pull us through —but the road will be uphill to the end.

"Till the victory is achieved our path of duty lies clear. We must first organise, train and equip our armed forces, for both service overseas and home defence. We must secondly maintain and expand production in order that those forces may be fed and clothed and the greatest possible supplies of foodstuff's and materials made available for the needs of our Allies.”

MILITARY AND ECONOMIC I WHAT NEW ZEALAND HAS DONE FINANCE MINISTER DEFENDS GOVERNMENT. INCREASED PRODUCTION FOR EXPORT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. New Zealand’s war effort both in the economic and military field was discussed by the Minister of Finance, NLr Nash, in an address last night. Me said it should be remembered that though the military side was highly important and spectacular Hie economic side must be looked after if the Avar was to be Avon. It was not only a matter of supplying England with the greatest quantity of this country’s goods, but it was also a matter of New Zealand keeping up production of all kinds in order to get the maximum e ffi ci en cy. “Immediately the war broke out New Zealand placed at the disposal of England the whole of the export surplus of New Zealand’s production—all our wool, all our meat, all our butter and cheese, and any otherproduct which the British Government thought it important to take,” said Mr Nash. “It is not generally realised that New Zealand’s offer was not accepted by the British Government in these precise terms. On two of our main export products, namely, meat and dairy produce, the British Government did not undertake to buy from us unlimited supplies. Definite amounts were fixed. “For example, the British Government undertook to buy from New Zealand 300,000 tons of frozen meat produced this season, and inclusive of any carry-over, from the previous season. The British Government did not undertake to buy more than this 300,000 tons. However, it did undertake, if shipping space could be made available, to buy from us within the limits of its requirements, additional quantities which New Zealand might have available for- export.