BUTTER DIVERTED TO U.S.A.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 167, 22 July 1946, Page 5

BUTTER DIVERTED TO U.S.A.

Mr. Nash considered Britain would be no worse off as the result of the recent agreement for the sale of New Zealand butter to the United States forces in the Pacific. There was an agreement in writing for the United States to supply Britain with corresponding fats, but whether the substitute fats would be measured by weight, by food value, or by monetary value, to his knowledge had not been determined yet.

People in Britain were getting enough to eat, but could not always get the foods they wanted. Standing in queues was a tiring and worrying business.

“The British people are splendid," he said. “There is some irritation about bread rationing, but Britain is in great heart. They are an amazing people. The food position is tough, but they take it as well as anyone, and civilian production is going up by leaps and bounds.” Rationing was likply to last for a year or two yet in Britain, and as

long as we could help by maintaining our rationing system here it would be the natural thing to do so. Mr. Nash said all the Dominions at the Commonwealth Conferences agreed that Britain's burden in paying f 1,200,000,000 this year for defence was too great, and that the Dominions must contribute more to their own defence. There were certain ways in which we could carry greater responsibility. The question of conscription to fulfil our defence obligations, however, was entirely for the Government and Parliament of New Zealand to determine, Mr. Nash s>id he discussed in London and with Mr. Dean Acheson in Washington, the question of Pacific bases. We wanted the Americans in the South Pacific to co-operate with us, under the United Nations framework, for mutual defensive arrangements, but we were rather opposed to the transfer of (Tie sovereignty of any British island in the Pacific. That did not mean we would not find a way to co-operate with the Americans.