FURTHER NEW MEASURES ANNOUNCED

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 14050, 3 May 1946, Page 3

FURTHER NEW MEASURES ANNOUNCED

DRASTIC STEPS TO SAVE WHEAT AND

FLOUR IN BRITAIN

ENDEAVOURS TO HELP MEET WORLD’S FOOD SHORTAGE

MINISTER SAYS HE IS CONFIDENT PEOPLE WILL ACCEPT THESE REDUCTIONS

London, May 2.

The Minister of Food (Sir Ben Smith) has announced new measures to save wheat and flour in Britain to help meet the world food shortage. Sir Ben said the extraction rate of flour for the British loaf would he increased from the present 85 per cent, to 90 per cent. The pre-war rate was 73 per dent. Sugar and fats for confectionery and cakes are to be cut by a quarter. The output of biscuits and similar products is also to be reduced by 25 per cent.

These new measures, which Sir Ben called drastic.) are to become effective in the next few days and will last until the wheat supplies of this country make a change possible. The next steps follow the decision to reduce the British standard one pound loaf to 14 ounces and to cut the brewing of beer by 15 per cent. The new increase in the extraction rate of flour, Sir Ben said, would give an annual loss of about 300.000 tons of feeding stuffs for farm stock and poultry. The Ministry of Agriculture would be issuing a statement about this in a day or so. In making the announcement tho Minister said he was confident that the people of Britain would accept these further reductions in view of the present world shortage of wheat. Asked whether he thought the new reductions would be final, Sir Ben replied, “I can only go on hoping.” A Rome broadcast said to-night that the British Ambassador in Rome has told the Italian G-overnment that Britain will lend Italy 50,000 tons of wheat.