REPLY TO CRITICISM

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 72, 26 March 1941, Page 12

REPLY TO CRITICISM

ACTION TAKEN

PROMISES TO BE KEPT

The points Mr. Poison had made had been so blunt that they could have been danced on, the Minister of Finance said. Mr. Poison had said the Government had been advised on December 20 about the difficulties of getting meat away from New Zealand and had done nothing. The object of the Government had been to provide all the meat that could ultimately be sent to the United Kingdom. It had been recognised in London that it would be a hardship to the producers if meat could not be .purchased and the decision was to lift everything possible. That being so, should the Government have restricted production? To have done so would have been to betray the United Kingdom and would have destroyed half the morale of the people of New Zealand. As late as February 7, advice had been received indicating that the position was better than stated in December. Mr. Nash quoted from a cable received at that time. This 'stated what the New Zealand Government had suggested and indicated that the Ministry of Food in Britain was sympathetic.

On the question of a faster turnround of shipping-, said Mr. Nash, it was not correct to say that the Government had done nothing. Provision had been made for inter-port shipment, and railway rolling-stock had been rearranged for the transport of | produce. The turn-round of ships had jbeen speeded up, but he agreed that this was not yet fast enough. STORAGE SPACE. As far as extra storage space was concerned, the Government had made an agreement with the freezing companies to provide 2,200,000.000 cubic feet of space and had undertaken to find the money at 4 per cent. The companies were to write off depreciation in accordance with normal practice and the Government was to take over redundant plant and buildings at the end of the war. Mr. Poison had chided them with not having consulted the industry, but they had gone to the producers and had asked for the benefit of their experience. The Government had undertaken to purchase all meat for export and was going to keep that promise. What it was doing now was being done to I avoid ■. cluttering up the storage space I with meat that was not worth "that." and Mr. Nash snapped his fingers. It would take the best meat first and the remaining storage available would be used for the rest. However, the Government felt that it ought not to be fleeced by men who should be out to help. It was not the job of the men who were leading the farmers to tell them that they had 'o squeeze every penny out of the Government. Mr. Poison: Who has told them that? Mr. Nash said they had been told that all through. They had been told that the Government had made a promise and the farmers should see that it was kept. 1 Referring to the importation of equipment for storage, Mr. Nash said that every application had been approved. There had been unnecessary delay in one case, but nothing had been lost by that.

Mr." Poison had suggested that the Government should have anticipated that the Lease and Lend Bill would mean shipping food from America. Food had not been included in the original Bill.

BRITAIN FIRST

"Our job is to comply with the policy which will feed the people of Britain, even if we lose everything here," he said. "If they can get a three-weeks turn around for shipping that is all to the good."

Government marketing had been criticised, but the . marketing of produce could not have been handled effectively now if it had not been undertaken by the Government previously.

On the question of storage versus destruction, Mr, Nash said that both the Minister of Marketing and the Government had a complete repugnance to taking meat in to digest it: that meant destroying it and making it into manure. Tt would not destroy meat if that could be avoided, but there was no telling what might be forced on it in the future. The suggestion that it should have storage for two years' supply meant that it would have meat in hand for four years and there was not the ghost of a chance of using meat after it had been for four years in cool store.

If they had to destroy meat, or sell it more cheaply to the people, the latter choice would be the more sensible, provided it could be used without affecting the general health of the people.

ln conclusion. Mr. Nash said that times ahead were going to be hard. The only way in which New Zealand could live as it should live was for everyone to help shoulder the burden.