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production have passed through the transition period with comparative smoothness. Stocks of material obtained for munitions and allied production were made available for transition production, and this, together with the use of machine tools imported for the same purpose, assisted in the change-over. The potential difficulties were of no mean order, but, with the. co-operation of the industry, the cancellation of contracts has been .effected with a minimum of disturbance to the industry as a whole. War production brought to the industry new methods and new techniques. The •experience gained in munition-production will inevitably be reflected in the production ■of civilian requirements of greater quality and wider diversity, and it is generally agreed that the engineers, scientists, and artisans of our engineering and allied industries, .have proved themselves capable of the highest standards of research, inventiveness, .and workmanship. ASSISTANCE TO OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS In view of the experience gained by the Ministry of Supply in obtaining supplies during the war period from both local and overseas sources, it was logical that its assistance should be sought when supplies from this country were desired by other administrations. Requirements for the Eastern Group Supply Council, whose headquarters are in India, were prominent among the Ministry's wartime contracts, but more recently considerable work has been done to assist the British Colonial Office, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, the Netherlands Government, and the Netherlands Indies Government Import and Export Organization. The services rendered may be illustrated by a brief reference to the cases of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Netherlands Indies Government Import and Export Organization. Following the passing of legislation in 1944 authorizing the contribution by New Zealand of 1 per cent, of its estimated national income for the year ended 30th June, 1943, to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, the Ministry of Supply was charged with the translation of the contribution of the amount so determined, which equalled £2,600,000 (New Zealand currency), into the required goods and services. To carry this into effect, liaison was established with the south-west Pacific headquarters of UNRRA in Sydney. Although the cessation of hostilities made it possible to release productive capacity from war manufactures, and although certain .surpluses became available through the War Assets Realization Board, there were, when UNRRA was in its infancy, difficulties in reconciling its requirements with New Zealand's capacity to produce. The main request made to New Zealand was, of course, for foodstuffs, but this request had to be subject, firstly, to existing commitments to the United Kingdom, and, secondly, to competing demands for these goods. Our exports in meat, fats, and dairy products were and still are subject to allocation by the London Food Council (on which New Zealand is represented) and by the Combined Food Board in Washington. Food, however, was not the only need, and orders for industrial and agricultural equipment, seeds, clothing, and wool were considerable. In certain cases the fulfilment of these demands had the effect of assisting the transition of industrial plants from wartime to peacetime production, while the UNRRA demand also allowed to be utilized a variety of goods obtained for war purposes but surplus to our immediate requirements when the fighting ended. New Zealand's assistance has, however, not been confined to goods obtained under the sum voted by Parliament. In 1945 a voluntary clothes collection was organized by the Government on a national basis and more than 1,500,000 lb. of used clothes and footwear were collected and sent as a gift to the -distressed peoples of Europe. Voluntary donations of various kinds are still being made through the New Zealand Council of Organizations for Relief Services Overseas (CORSO), .and these have been accepted on behalf of UNRRA and shipped at their direction.

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