MUTUAL AID

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 201, 25 August 1945, Page 7

MUTUAL AID

f).Z. AND AMERICA

NEARLY BALANCED

oC . WASHINGTON, July 20. Details of lend-lease business between the United States and New Zealand, and high praise for the Dominion's war effort, are given in a statement issued by Mr. Leo T. Crowley, Foreign Economic Administrator. Mr. Crowley said that New Zealand had furnished reverse lendlease to the United States valued at nearly the same amount as the lendlease aid she had received.

"Materials of war, including munitions and industrial and agricultural products valued at 204,693,000 dollars, were supplied by the United States to New Zealand from the inception of the lend-lease programme in March, 1941, through, April 30 1945," said Mr. Crowley. "With this aid New Zealand troops have fought beside American troops in the Pacific and in Europe. More than one to every three and a half men of military age in her total population have been dispatched abroad to these fronts.

"New Zealand in turn has supplied as reverse lend-lease to our troops without payment by us, food, military supplies and equipment, transportation, construction ,and other facilities valued at nearly the same amount. Up to January 1, 1945, this reverse lend-lease totalled 171,419,000 dollars, and while figures have not vet been compiled for the current year, it is estimated, on the basis of the materials she made available to our troops in 1944, that reverse lend-lease from this ally through April 30. 1945, totalled about 19S 000.000 dollars.

"The major contribution of the United States to the New Zealand war effort, through lend-lease, has been in industrial materials," said Mr. Crowley. "These have helped New Zealand increase vastly her output of arms and munitions above normal capacity, and have totalled 76,400,000 dollars through April 30, more than one-third of all our !end-lease exports to this ally. During April, when lend-lease materials worth 1.912.000 dollars were shipped to New Zealand, industrial products totalled 985,000 dollars, or more than one half the total. Aircraft Big Item "The largest volume of aid in munitions has been aircraft. We have> sent equipment of this type valued at 47,786,000 dollars. The effectiveness of the New Zealanders in air operations in the South Pacific has won the commendation of both United States Navy and Marine Corps officers in recent weeks. Flying daily sorties, they have been a contributing means of preventing the Japanese from attacking vital docks, storage areas and freight ships in the Solomons upon which the Allied forces are partially dependent for supplies in their drive on the Japanese homeland. In the Bismarck Archipelago four Royal New Zealand Air Force squadrons, which recently completed operational periods of duty, won high praise from Marine Corps officers for the quality of their airmanship against intensive enemy anti-aircraft action during periods of tropical storms.

"Other materials supplied by us to New Zealand through April 30 as lend-lease have included the following: Tanks and vehicles valued at 39,016,000 dollars; ordnance and ammimition, 33,103,000 dollars; watercraft, 2,445,000 dollars; agricultural products, including cotton, tobacco, fertilisers and seeds, 5,943,000 dollars.

"The mutual nature of lend-lease is well illustrated by the aid which we furnish to New Zealand to enable her to increase her food production, an increase that is necessary because of the demands made upon her for food for our troops stationed in the South Pacific," said Mr. Crowley. "We have shipped to New Zealand farm machinery which, up to January 1, 1945, was valued at 5,700,000 dollars. We have also sent canning equipment, food' processing equipment, and tin plate for making tin cans. "With the aid of this equipment New Zealand has been able to make substantial increases in her foodstuffs production. To the end of 1944, we received 800,075,000 pounds from , New Zealand as reverse lendleasap- without cash expenditure by us. We have received additional millions of pounds since the first of the year. Food to Iwa Jima "Four days after the original landing of the invasion troops at Iwo Jima, a New Zealand supply ship, deeply-laden with food and other supplies reached- that island and started the unloading of her vital cargoes. In the earlier stages of the Pacific war, when fighting was concentrated in New Britain and the Admiralty and Caroline Islands, New Zealand food and supplies moved an volume to American forces. "Among the foods delivered to our forces by New Zealand as reverse lend-lease to the start of the current year, have been the following: Meat, 317,460,0001b; butter; 39,780000b; cheese 13 575,0001b; evaporated milk, 19,480,0001b; other dairy products, 29,880,0001b; potatoes,- 104,370,0001b; other fresh vegetables, 75,340,0001b; canned vegetables, 40,870.0001b; apples, 31,480,0001b; sugar, 65,450,0001b; and other foodstuffs, 62,390,0001b. The butter received from New Zealand is nearly one half the volume supplied by the United States as direct lend-lease to the Soviet Union, the only. recipient ol our lend-lease butter.

U.S. Shipping Released "Many thousands of tons of shipping space have been made available for the transport of munitions from the United States to our men m the Pacific because of the fact that this food was provided close to the scene of action," said Mr. Crowley. "Sufficient refrigerated tonnage to transport fresh vegetables to tne Pacific is not available. Without this reverse lend-lease, fresh fopasavanable to our men in the Pacific would have been held to a minimum. "New Zealand, basically an agricultural country, has effected severe rationing upon her civilian popute tion in order to supply food to the American forces and to the Unitea Kingdom," said Mr. Crowley, in con elusion. "Early last month, ari addi tional cut of six ounces per week ot butter and a 25 per cent reduction of meat was effected to make avail able to Great Britain an additional 15,000 tons of butter and 35,000 tons of meat."