FOOD FOR JAVA

Grey River Argus, 15 February 1946, Page 5

FOOD FOR JAVA

To be Loaded at Auckland INTO HOSPITAL SHIP P.A. AUCKLAND, Feb. 14 The first vessel to take relief supplies direct from New Zealand to Indonesia Netherlands is tlie hospital ship Tasman. She is now loading 270 tons of tinned butter and evaporated milk for Java at Auckland. The cargo is being consigned by the Netherlands Government, and it was originally intended that it should’ be despatched last October by the Alcinous, but the Wellington watersiders refused to load that ship. Under the Geneva Convention, the Tasman, as a hospital ship, is permitted to carry relief cargo of foodstuffs, and the 270 tons wil occupy most of the limited freight space left since her conversion from a passenger cargo liner. Under the circumstances no objection to working the ship was raised by the. Waterside Workers' Union. “We are satisfied’ that the cargo' is purely food supplies,” stated the Union President, Mr. H. Barnes, “and they will accordingly be loaded.” CANADIAN CREDIT FOR NETHERLANDS OTTAWA, February 12. The Finance Minister, Mr. Lisley, has announced that Canada has extended a hundred million dollai credit to the Netherlands for the purchase of Canadian goods and foodstuffs. This is additional to the twenty-five million dollars loaned last year.