FOOD AND HEALTH

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 292, 23 September 1935, Page 6

FOOD AND HEALTH

MR BRUCE’S SUGGESTION.

SUPPORT BY BRITISH DEEEGATE.

United Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, 'September 21. The British delegate (Lord de_ la Warr) fully supported the suggestion put forward by Mr S. M. Bruce before the Economic Committee of the League of Nations that the paradox of glutted markets and hungry people was a problem for citizenship. With the growing knowledge of the importance of nutrition, would it not become inevitable for governments, which had faced their responsibilities in regard to sanitation, control of infectious diseases and housing, now to extend their activities to the question of food, he asked. Lord de la Warr referred to the inquiry on the relation of nutrition and disease carried out by the League’s health organisation, and said that its report certainly suggested that deliberate action to expand consumption was necessary on more than economic grounds. Many countries were distributing food free or at special prices to their unemployed. Last year the British Government had provided 400,000 children with free meals, and many thousands, both children and mothers, with free milk for health reasons.

The British delegate went on: “It is surely worth while for all of us who are spending millions on subsidies or an export bounties to producers to consider how far this principle of increasing consumption rather than of subsidising production might be extended.” He emphasised that he was not there to propose sweeping resolutions. The United Kingdom Government, however, would welcome an inquiry by League organisations into the whole question. The committee concluded its discussi on of Mr Bruce’s resolution and appointed a sub-committee to prepare a resolution for submission to the assembly. The representatives of South Africa, Bulgaria, Norway, Chile, Italy and Poland supported Mr Bruce, who accepted French and Italian suggestions that the resolution should embody co-operation between the International Labour Office and the International Institute of Agriculture.

The United States observer was very interested, and it is understood that America will co-operate.