The Wanganui Chronicle. TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1947. GIFTS TO BRITAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, 11 March 1947, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1947. GIFTS TO BRITAIN

THE decision of the New Zealand Government to make an unconditional gift to Britain of the sum of £10,000,000 should have

the approval of each and every citizen. It is claimed that New Zealanders take too much notice of what is said in their own favour. There may be some truth in this assertion. If that is our weakness it is possible that the contribution made by this country to the world struggle may get out of focus. New Zealand’s national effort was a good one, but it was the United Kingdom which took the brunt of the attack and which suffered most in the conflict. True, it has the glory of being the “First to Fight for the Free,” but honour and glory butter no parsnips.

The United Kingdom has won the admiration of the whole world. .Some countries, jealous of the United Kingdom’s conduct in its darkest yet finest hour, are not quite at home with the idea that so much is owed by civilisation to the United Kingdom. New Zt aland, for all its love of praise, is not one of these countries. This country is thrilled with the record of the people of the homeland, soldier and civilian, both in war and in peace. This country has ever been deeply conscious of the debt it owed, and still owes, to the Motherland, a debt of gratitude for the defending arm that she has ever thrown around these shores,,of the culture that she has given us and kept nourish) das the years have parsed. So deep is that appreciation that all this country has done or can do seems to be inadequate ‘ This is why, though the prompting is only half recognised by the givers, gift parcels are so easily to be obtained for the people of Britain . This, too. is why the people -will not consider the sum of £10,000,000 in English currency, which represents £12,500,000 in this country’s depreciated currency, is not a large sum to strike off the balances now held in London. These London balances total some £110,000,000, so the gift payment to Britain will cause this country no great inconvenience within any measurable distance of time.

It is to be hoped that the examples set by the Commonwealth of Australia and the Dominion of New Zealand in making gift payments which together total £35,000,000 sterling will lead other countries that were perhaps even more fortunate than our neighbour and ourselves on the economic side of wartime’s activities to come to the aid of the one country that has carried the world on its shoulders for so long. Now is the time Lor the world to reveal how much it appreciates the great work of a great people and a great country. It is to be hoped that the light of this example will shine particularly bright in the Orient, where India and Egypt have benefited by the protection afforded and the hard cash paid by the defenders for everything they received from those defended countries.

This was not by any means the first helping gesture made by New Zealand to the Mother Country. Nearly forty years ago the Dominion presented to the British Fleet a dreadnought, and in World War I. H.M.S. New Zealand did credit to this country, especially in the Jlattle of Jutland. Though the gift of the dreadnought was acclaimed on all sides in New Zealand, the action ot the Government of that day was criticised because Cabinet made the gift without bothering to consult Parliament. The same criticism has been offered regarding New Zealand’s gift of £10,000,000 sterling, and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland, was on firm grounds when he voiced a protest against the Prime Minister’s announcement of lhe gift without consulting the Opposition. Mr. Holland has drawn Mr. Fraser on the subject, but nothing that the Prime Minister has said will alter an opinion that courtesy suggested consultation of the Opposition. No cloubt exists regarding the right, of the Government to administer the affairs of the country, but when the party in power has such a slender majority as exists to-day it loses nothing in dignity in offering the Opposition an opportunity to express an opinion on procedure and to offer support for a decision-acceptable to all. The time is now opportune for a further appeal to the people of New Zealand for more practical and .acceptable assistance to Great Britain. Further increase in production, especially of the foodstuffs so sorely needed in the Motherland, could well be planned and encouraged. That growers of foodstuffs ■would readily respond can be taken for granted. That greater efforts could be made to ensure the transhipment of those foodstuffs to Great Britain cannot be denied. Thus would be made to the Mother Country a gift which the people of this Dominion could regard with modest pride and satisfaction.