AID FROM AMERICA

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 285, 29 August 1941, Page 10

AID FROM AMERICA

Mr. Coates On Lend-Lease ’ Programme CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LUNCHEON The United States was giving help to us as a •country and. people in a way that we could hardly appreciate to the full, said Mr. Coates, M.P., member of the War Cabinet, who was the chief guest and speaker at a luncheon of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce in Kirkcaldie and Stains s premises, yesterday. He urged that, we should see to it that we did not take advantage of the Lend-Lease pro gramme for any other purpose than that for which it was intended. “Let us thank God that we have friends who are prepared to help us in our emergency,” he said. The president, Mr. R. H. Nimmo, welcomed the following other guests: Hie Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holland; the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Sir Harry Batterbee ; the High Commissioner for Canada, Dr. W. A. Riddell; the Con-sul-General of the United States, Mr. R. Cox; and the mayor of Wellington, Mr. Hislop. ' Mr. Nimmo said that as far as the business community .was concerned the Government could not have chosen a more capable or acceptable representative than Mr. Coates for his mission to the United States.

Mr. Coates conveyed, to the Wellington chamber felicitations from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, which had entertained him and the Minister of Lands, Mr. Langstone, on their arrival there. It had been a great honour and privilege to be selected by the War Cabinet and the Government for the mission. He had found Mr. Langstone as keen as mustard and easy to work with. There were no differences of opinion as far as the New Zealand delegation was concerned. The British Supply Council and Purchasing Commission, the United States War, Navy and State Departments, and the Lease-Lend Administrator, Mr. Hopkins, had given the New Zealand delegation every possible facility for its work.

The road was going to be terribly lough for a while, Mr. Coates said. We would come out on top, but there was nothing too small that we could leave it undone. A vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Coates on the motion of the vice-presi-dent of the chamber, Mr. A. L. Wall.