BLUNT SPEARING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 76, 31 March 1941, Page 6

BLUNT SPEARING.

HELP FOR BRITAIN. GREATER EFFORT NEEDED. (().(..) WELLINGTON, Sunday. "'I am going to speak to you bluntly ;inil plainly," said Sir Harry Rattcrbfc. High Commissioner for the I'nitcd Kingdom in Now Zealand. when addressing members df the Wellington Chamber of Commerce at the animal dinner. He ■ ■ailed upon the people of New Zealand f->r greater effort* to help (beat Britain

in her course to victory in the present vv nr. "It is certain." Sir Harry said, "that the next few works will see deadly and de.-perale lighting, not only in the battle for Britain and t lie Atlantic, but for the Mediterranean as well. We ean look forward with confidence to the final re.ult, but make no mistake that the coning months are going to try to the uttermost the nerve, the resolution and the courage of every part of the Umpire.

"Do Without Goods." "Strange as it may ..ecm to some of you. 1 ani going- to plead, not for the larger importation. but t ] lc smaller importation of British good-; and when I a*k yon to do without goods normally obtained from Britain. I mean, of course I b"t you should ( l„ without them altogether. Nothing would be gained if von were to import such goods from oilier countries—unless they arc of a ciaracter essential to the war effort. "The time has come when productive looitrce.. throughout the Empire should He concent rated on producing onlv absolutely essential things, when civilian consumption of all kinds should be reduced to a minimum, and the moncv -aved contributed to the war so that -V whole of the available manpower, financial power and faetorv power throughout the Empire may be devoted to the common war effort. •Every letter from England tells of lno privations and sacrifices of the people at Home, and t know that I am not, appealing to deaf ears when 1 a*k tho people of Xew Zealand to share in those sacrifice*. Not onlv luxuries but ; necessities of all kinds arc growing | scarcer. Fortunately it is not necessary i for you in New Zealand to share in the j food restrictions, but there are many | other ways in which you can help. I "We. all of u*. hope that trouble may | not come to the Pacific, hut if it doo«t I come 1 HIII giving away no secret when I say that every gallon of petrol tu>w in j the country will be required, not once. ! hut two or three time* over. There can ! be no doubt that one of the first act* j of an enemy would be to raid our petrol ; supplies. Shipping Difficulties. "I should also like to say one word about the present meat position." said Sir Harry, "and. as the representative of the United Kingdom Government, to express, my sympathy with the position in which, owing to I iic exigencies of the •shipping position, the meat farmers of this country now find themselves. I trust that ways and means of at least alleviating the present difficulties may he found.

''The only real and permanent solution i*. of course, alone to be found in the restoration of peace and the rcpstabli*hmcnt of the shipping position. Pray Cod that the restoration of peace may be nearer than we think and that before tho next annual dinner of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce victory may have been won and peace come 'back again to the earth."