AN EXPORT ECHELON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23592, 28 February 1940, Page 10

AN EXPORT ECHELON

In emphasising the necessity of maintaining and even increasing exports as a part of Britain's war effort, Mr: R. S. Hudson, Secretary of the Overseas Trade Department, coined a phrase that might well be given currency here in New Zealand, a country whose exports have the highest value per capita of any country in the world. Mr. Hudson said that exports had been called the fourth, arm of defence but he preferred to think of them as a new British Expeditionary Force, a force in which the common people would unitedly play their part in ensuring ultimate victory. The thought is one that New Zealanders could well make their own. All wish to do their bit for the Empire's cause, but most will not be required for active military service. Nevertheless, as Mr s Hudson shows, they can take their place in the fight for freedom by helping to reinforce the new B.E.F. by assisting productive effort for export. This might be called New Zealand's export echelon. At the outbreak of the war Mr. Eraser and Mr. Nash emphasised the importance of waging the economic war vigorously, asserting that the expansion of production was at least as essential as raising armed, forces. Since then a great deal of energy and money has been spent on serving military ends, but not much has been done in a positive and practical way to stimulate output and so expand the export echelon. Perhaps Mr. Hudson's way of putting it may revive interest in a neglected branch of New Zealand's war effort. The more that we can produce within the Empire—the sterling area —the less we need trench on dollars and other foreign currencies for commodity imports, thus conserving exchange for the purchase of munitions and military aircraft to back our men in the field and hasten victory. Increased production is also imperative if standards of living are to be maintained against the heavy wastage of war,;