LEND-LEASE BY NEW

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 270, 10 August 1943, Page 5

LEND-LEASE BY NEW

ZEALAND Food For U.S. Forces

The extent to which American forces in the South Pacific area are benefiting from the increased production ot tooil in New Zealand and Australia is mentioned by Francis Flood.in the National Geographic Magazine” in an article on lend-lease and reverse lend-lease. During 1912, the writer states, Amen can troops received under reverse wadlease more beef, veal, lamb and mutton from Australia and New Zealand >“! ul the United States had sent to all ns allies, including Britain and Russia. In the last six months of 1942, he says, “we lend-leased food at the rate of about 161 b. of food for each person in the United States, while Australia and New Zealand lend-leased food to us at the rate of 261 b. for each person in those two countries. „ „ , ~ “One-third of all New Zealand s farm workers and one-half of all the men of military age are under arms, the writer continues. “That is a mobilization equivalent to 21.000,009 men under arms in the United States, 13,000,00 b in the Army and 8,000.000 in the Home Guard.’ An/ American dairyman would say that such a Joss in manpower would, mean a great loss in production. “But New Zea laud has increased her farm production by 15 ]>er cent, in the face of it, with the increase in dairy production greater still. r, , “And now these New Zealanders, after limiting their own diet, have joined wita Australia in lend-leasing to us more beef by 40 per cent, than we lendlease to all our allies,” he says. “Of all the lend-lease facts this prodigious feat is one of the most impressive. First, these agricultural democracies prove that farm production can be maintained, and increased in spite of tremendous military and war-industry demands on labour, and second, after producing extra food under such difficulties, they are willing to ration themselves rigidly.” The most important result, the writer concludes, is the great saving in shipping, not only of the meat, but of tt much greater tonnage of other foods. By supplying the foods on the spot, Australia and New Zealand were freeing thousands of tons of shipping to carry more aeroplanes, tanks, and guns to the South Pacific battle theatre.