GIFT FROM N.Z.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 157, 4 July 1940, Page 8

GIFT FROM N.Z.

CASH OR PRODUCE.

HELP BRITAIN WITH WAR. COMMERCE CHAMBER VUkS. The advisability of making a direct gift of £1,000,000 from the Dominion's sterling funds to the British Government for the prosecution of the war, or, alternatively, sending shipments of produce for which payment would be waived was diecuseed at to-day's meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. Mr. N. B. Spencer presided. The matter arose when a letter was read from the Associated Chambers of Commerce acknowledging representations made by the local chamber arising out of last meeting, at which Mr. J. A. C. Allum was a strong advocate of the plan.

The question, said the letter, as far as good were concerned, was whether [ such goods ehould be given from produce already purchased by the Government, from produce purchasinl from the farmers under a special arrangement, or ae a gift offering from the farmers themselves. In the last connection there was already a suggestion that the farmers should start off with a combined gift from themselves by donating cases of r/utter, to be followed by free carriage by the shipping companies and free handling by the water^iders.

Attitude of Farmers. Tlie letter added that for the Government to make the gift from the people of the country as a whole would, in the opinion of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, introduce complicating factors into existing contracts with the British Government. The union stated that such a proposition had already been considered and reported on unfavourably by the farmers' leaders, the farmers preferring to concentrate all their energies through the, Dominion on increased primary production.

"Wβ have the choice of giving the Mother Country £1,000,000 in sterling or sending two or three cargoes of produce and waiving the payment," said

Mr. J. A. C. Allum. "We could tell the Homeland not to pay us but to buy aeroplanes. She is doing all the fighting for us, and the least we can do is to make some such gesture. The only drawback—and I am sure that 99 per cent of the people will not consider it one— in that a little sacrifice will be demanded of us."

Mr. Gainor Jackson said there was not sufficient sacrifice in this country. Burma, Ceylon, the Falkland Islands and the Bermudas had all assisted Great Britain. It might l>e that people would have to forgo some of the poods that would ordinarily have returned to Xew Zealand as payment for the produce, but that was nothing. "If I had my way we would give Great Britain £o,000,000,"Ai said. On ,tnp rcsuiution of the chairman it was decided to ask the Associated Chambers of Commerce to approach the Government, a* the idea of sending produce would he better than giving sterling straight out.