EFFECT ON ORDERS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 52, 30 August 1945, Page 5

EFFECT ON ORDERS

LEND-LEASE STOPPAGE

MINISTER'S STATEMENT

"It should be clearly understood that orders which have been placed in either Canada or the United States under the authority of import licences are not affected by the termination of mutual aid and lend-lease; the orders which are affected are those which have been, or are being, placed on those countries by the Ministry of Supply on behalf of importers," stated the Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan) last night. Mr. Sullivan said that with the cessation of lend-lease and,mutual aid, some difficulties and delays were likely to be caused in the immediate future in the procurement of supplies from those two countries. A good deal of correspondence had already been received by the Ministry of Supply about the position of present and future orders on Canada and the U.S.A. It was not practicable to give an answer for a few days until the general situation was clarified. Likewise, a number of orders already received by the Ministry would be held until the decision was reached as to how they would be processed for procurement purposes. In view of the critical nature of a number of commodities and to ensure that there was no breakdown in the production and distribution of critical supplies, the combined Governments of the United States of America, Great Britain, and Canada had agreed to retain in operation for a time at least the Combined Production Resources Board, the Combined Raw Materials Board, and the Combined Food Board. In effect, that meant that the procurement of supplies coming within the scope of those boards might necessarily be determined by a system of essentiality and priority.

REVIEW OF ORDERS

"Naturally importers and merchants throughout the Dominion will be anxious to ascertain at the earliest possible moment the position regarding orders already placed with the Ministry and also what' action should be taken by them in respect of their future requirements of those critical supplies previously obtainable only through the Ministry of Supply on a Government-to-Government basis;" said the Minister. "In this connection, it will be appreciated that, of necessity, a complete review must be made by the Ministry of all orders that have not yet been fulfilled by the overseas suppliers, and this in itseif is a job of considerable magnitude. However, the Commissioner of Supply has the matter well in hand and immediately the position is clarified, merchants and importers will be notified as to the position of their respective orders."