FOOD FOR UNRRA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 29 November 1945, Page 2

FOOD FOR UNRRA

NONE FROM N.Z. AND AUSTRALIA Wellington. Nov. 28 UNRRA was unable to get food from either New Zealand or Australia, said Miss A. C. Duncan, representative of UNRRA in the South-west Pacific area, in an address on Tuesday at the Library Lecture Hall, Wellington. Military and other commitments had made it impossible this year, she said, but it was embarrassing and difficult to explain to the Chinese representative in Sydney why such rich countries could not send food to his starving people. After nearly two years of organisation. UNRRA still faced enormous difficulties in striving for success. Getting transport was a great problem. It had been most disheartening to see supplies piling up on wharves because shipping space could not be obtained for them. ‘'There are so many controls and so much red tape that it takes a long time to get anything away,” said the speaker. “Ships have left a port like Sydney half-empty, and yet UNRRA supplies could not. be taken because permission could not be gained in time.” It was hoped that eels from New Zealand could be sent to China. A new industry would arise to meet the demands. “We are scouring the country for fishing nets, too. for China,” said Miss Duncan. Fish were going to be invaluable as food for the people there. Accusations that UNRRA was failing were untrue, said the speaker. Naturally the entire personnel had not turned out successfully, but that was inevitable for recruits for the service had been taken from 30 different nations. If UNRRA were to fail it would be a world tragedy.