MUST DO WITHOUT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20548, 7 May 1941, Page 6

MUST DO WITHOUT

PEOPLE OF N.Z. UNESSENTIAL GOODS IMPORTS FROM BRITAIN SACRIFICES NEEDED (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this clay. New Zealand would be rendering a disservice to the war effort if it insisted on the importation of certain manufactured or partly manufactured goods or raw materials from Great Britain, said the president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Mr. R. H. Nimmo, at a meeting of the chamber last night. Mr. Nimmo added that he felt bound to make a statement on the subject, having discussed it with Sir Harry Batterbee, British High Commissioner, and Mr. R. Boulter, British Trade Commissioner, and having read statements on the subject by the Secretary of the Department of Overseas Trade and the President of the Board of Trade.

“The commercial community and the public of New Zealand must face the issue unselfishly, and I am sure they will do so once they are appraised of the facts,” Mr. Nimmo said. "On the other hand there are some goods necessary to New Zealand which the United Kingdom can still produce for export without causing embarrassment and which, in fact, might help the general war effort throughout the whole Empire. Schedules of Goods “As regards the issue of schedules of available goods, 1 feel that there are two main reasons why such cannot be produced. First, on account of the rapidly changing conditions, it must be appreciated that while there might be some possibility of preparing these lists, the information so given would actually be out of date before reaching the hands of those concerned. Secondly, and this seems to me to be the chief difficulty, many materials are available when required for consumption in a particular manner, but not when required for some other purpose. For example, steel might be available for essential work such as bridges, aerodrome hangars and the general war effort, but not for purposes deemed unessential under the present conditions. “The office of the British Trade Commissioner is ready at any time to telegraph to London inquiries as to the availability for export of supplies of any specific materials or goods. Conservation of Funds “In spite of the generous financial aid which is now being given by the United States of America under the iease-or-lend bill, the necessity for conserving to the utmost the gold and dollar resources of the Empire still remains. Ever increasing calls are being made upon the productive capacity of the United Kingdom to meet the requirements of the combatant forces. In addition, the battle of the Atlantic now demands that all the shipping available" should be used in the most economic way. Our armed forces in the Near and Middle East have first call upon the. shipping, and their requirements have grown far heavier since last December. When this call has been satisfied, the remaining shipk must be concentrated upon the transport to Britain of essential foodstuffs, essential raw materials and the ever-growing flood of munitions manufactured in United States of America. This is one of the reasons why civilians in Britain are now forced to do without many of the ordinary articles of everyday use.

“With the realisation that we are not helping Britain if we clamour for British exports, we must face up ! o the obligation of economising in the consumption of non-essentials—in other words, of doing without some of the things we are accustomed to, but the restriction in no way impinges upon the supply of essential foodstuffs which are in abundance in New Zealand. This economy in consumption of non-essentials has been made compulsory in Britain for the last 12 months. Now we must follow suit. Must Face Hard Facts

“Britain will give us what she reasonably can—beyond that wo must not expect. We New Zealanders must now look at the ljard facts as they are. and not as we would like them to be and remember that oitr comparative isolation from the rigours of war should make the sacrifices, which We are now beginning to experience, a privilege in the knowledge that however small such sacrifices may be, they are helping our kith and kin. “It is sufficient to say that New Zealand is kept so well informed of the position in the United Kingdom that the public in this country who follow the trend of affairs must realise that no sacrifices we can make are in any way comparable with the sufferings, hardships and privations which are being cheerfully borne by the ■ people in the bastion of democracy and Christian civilisation of the United Kingdom,” Mr. Nimmo concluded.