Australia USA Lend Lease

[Lang]

Mike

This is an interesting study on WW2 Australian wool. The vast quantity of wool stocks in Australia you refer to largely belonged to Britain who had paid for them and not a backlog of unsold product.

At the end of the Second World War the stock of Australian, New Zealand and South
African wool in the ownership of the United Kingdom Government is 10.4 million
bales. At a meeting of officials from each country held in London in April-May of
1945, the four governments form a joint organisation called, UK Dominion Wool
Disposals Limited to market and sell the stockpile, together with future clips, in an
orderly fashion to ensure the stability of wool prices. By the end of 1951, all the
stockpile is sold, as well as the wool bought in by the organisation at the floor price.

Lang

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40274932

[Mike Cecil]

So not heading in Liberty ships to the USA.

Thanks Lang, all adds to the understanding.


Mike

[Lang]

Just found there was 250,000,000lb Australian Wool Reserve created in USA'

This would have been the Liberty Ship cargo.

I do not want to buy the book but the excerpt leads me to believe this was British owned wool to be converted to product for British war effort.

Will follow up.

Lang

British Economic Warfare in the Far East and the Australian ...https://www.jstor.org › stable
by K Tsokhas · 1993 · Cited by 4 — Creation of a reserve of 250,000,000 lbs of Australian wool in the United States. DO 35/1089. Page 13. 56 THE AGRICULTURAL HISTORY REVIEW

[Lang]

Think I have spent enough time on this. Regardless of how it came about it was a pretty quick and neat conclusion with a great can-do attitude treaty.

Lang