Ship Turnround Is Crux Of Aid-To-Britain Problems

Northern Advocate, 28 August 1947, Page 8

Ship Turnround Is Crux Of Aid-To-Britain Problems

(P-A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. THE quicker turnround of ships, on which congestion in harbour sheds had a very large bearing, was described as the present crux of New Zealand’s difficulties in helping Britain when an informal discussion followed the official inauguration of the permanent Helping Britain Committee by the acting Premier (Mr Nash) today.

Mr D. A. Robertson, shipping companies’ representative on the committee, said that at the present rate of turnround it would take until the enu of the year to clear from the stores all butter, cheese and meat, which were immediately available for Britain at the end of Juiy. There were in stoic 5600 tons of butter, 3650 tons of cheese ann 119.500 tons of meat, a total of 128,750 ions of food ready for Britain.

Mr Nash said he had never encountered a more helpful spirit than that evident at the conference held last week to formulate a plan for helping Britain.

”If we can carry that same spirit into the months to come we will be able to render more help to Britain in proportion to our size, than any other part of the world,” said Mr Nash. GOVERNMENT WILL STAND COST

Cabinet expected to be called upon to arrange with the committee the best possible way to get the job done. The Government would bear any expenditure, although industry would be encouraged to help in such directions as publicity. The next two years would be hard for Britain which was economically in a worse position than ever before. New Zealand needed as much from Britain as she could supply to keep the Dominion’s own economy on an even keel and to send back to Britain enough to enable her to live.

There was no question, he said, of freezing exchange. New Zealand's overseas funds were there for purchasing goods and the Dominion would not trespass on those funds in any way that would embarrass the United Kingdom. WATERSIDERS COMMENDED

Answering a question, Mr Nash said Cabinet was considering today the turnround-of-ships problem. Mr G. Kilpatrick, of the FreezingWorkers' Union, said it would do no good if things were going to be jammed up on the waterfront.

He commended the spirit of the Auckland watersiders, who had made some concession in the hours of work in handling badly-needed basic slag.