LEASE-LEND ACT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24738, 15 October 1941, Page 6

LEASE-LEND ACT

AID FROM UNITED STATES PITFALLS TO BE AVOIDED REVIEW BY MR GOATES His recent visit to the United States and the substance and operation of the Lease and Lend Act provided Mr J, G. Coates, a member of the War Cabinet, with ample material for a highly interesting address to the annual meeting of the Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association last night. He emphasised particularly that the United States had placed the Lease and Lend Act on the Statute Book to assist the Allied countries. that it had been accepted in that spirit, and that the Allies could not impose on it. “We owe a duty to the United States.” he said, “ that we.“ do not procure any goods from America that we can procure within our own Empire. or' that' would be used for any other than war purposes.” First things must come first, he continued, and that applied equally to New Zealand as to the countries closer to the actual warfare. Diversions of supplies must go first to the point where they were immediately urgent. Many Pitfalls

There were many pitfalls in the operation of this means of American assistance, assistance which was appreciated to the full and which the British Empire did not intend to violate by trespassing upon the principles that had been laid down. It had been specified by the United States Government that there must be no individual* profits from any supplies or equipment which it provided under this Act, and that none of it should ever be exported to any other countries except when it was needed for battle. “ So far as this country is concerned,” he said, “if the manufacturers, and importers will co-operate and give a real lead, nine-tenths of the trouble will be over. The Government should net be interested, except as an investigator that no Individual profit is made from supplies from the United States. The operation of the assistance must, of course, be governed by the Government, but inside that framework it can make its own arrangements. No Need for Extremes

“ It is not only my own opinion, but that also of members of the Government, that there is no need to go to extremes,” Mr Coates said.. “ Once supplies, munitions and equipment have been landed, the existing channels of distribution and servicing should be used. It is the general desire that the effect of lease-lend operations should in no way upset the normal servicing of the people of this country. I repeat that the pitfall of individual profit is the one which greatest care has to be taken to avoid.” Mr Coates appealed for the fullest co-ordination of manufacturers, which would be of the greatest assistance in enabling New Zealand to avail itself to the necessary extent of the offer of the United States. “If we have that spirit of co-operation and coordination as {he dominating influence,” he said, “Hhere need be no fears concerning the normal servicing of the Dominion.”