FOOD SHIPMENTS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23947, 14 May 1943, Page 5

FOOD SHIPMENTS

DEMANDS ON N.Z. AND AUSTRALIA EFFECT OF VICTORY IN NORTH AFRICA (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.PA.) (Rec. 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 13. With the opening of the Mediterranean sea route, the food responsibilities of Australia and New Zealand are likely to be heavily increased. More ships are expected to become available for the carriage of food. Operations against Europe will involve the feeding of huge armies, in which Australia and New Zealand must bear their share. These points have been made by Mr W. Bankes Amery, head of the United Kingdom food mission to Australia and New Zealand, and by Australian members of Parliament and agricultural experts. A reorganisation of the- present methods of controlling the Commonwealth’s food supplies and of production methods, has been widely advocated. The Federal Government is being urged to do everything possible to implement the policy of mechanising •dairy farming, which it has already decided on. The Commonwealth Minister of Commerce and Agriculture (Mr J. Scully) admitted that the available farm labour in Australia was much below that required for normal production. It was imperative, he said, that more labour should be diverted to rural areas. He paid a tribute to the work done by women on farms, and declared that he was entirely opposed to the calling up of farmers’ wives and daughters, even to meet the current shortage of women for the auxiliary services. Especially in the dairying districts, women had performed wonderful work. Two prominent Australian agriculturists, both members of the Country Party-Sir Earle Page and Mr J. P. Abbott—have also emphasised the urgency of making more labour available for farms. Sir Earle Page described Australia’s food position as chaotic, and added that if immediate remedial steps were not taken chaos would become even more confounded. “New Responsibilities” “The expulsion of the Axis from Africa places upon Australia new food responsibilities,” said Mr Abbott. “The Mediterranean is now open again. With the United Nations occupying the whole northern coast of Africa, an aerial umbrella can be put over convoys wherever necessary. We must now accept responsibility for feeding th* Allied armies in their operations against the ‘soft under-belly’ of Axis Europe. This would result in a large saving of shipping. Ships from Australia to Suez traverse seas comparatively safe as compared with the battlelashed , Atlantic. “Australian food production must be put under the control of one strong Minister, and not left under several Ministers as at present. After a policy has been decided on, administration should be decentralised into the hands of war agricultural committees.” Emphasising the food responsibilities of Australia and New Zealand, Mr Amery said that the conclusion of the North African campaign might result in more shipping being available for food carriage. Britain now produced two-thirds of her food supplies. The remaining third was imported, coming mainly from Canada. Australia, and New Zealand. Australia, New Zealand, and the Argentine supplied 50 per cent, of Britain’s meat requirements.

RAID-FREE NIGHT IN BRITAIN

(Hec.' 11 p.m.) LONDON, May 13. There were no raiders over Britain last night. Enemy fighter-bombers were over the coast of East Anglia yesterday morning and again late in the evening. Bombs were dropped in both attacks, causing damage and a number of casualties, some of them fatal. One enemy aircraft was destroyed by anti-aircraft fire. Mosquito aircraft shot up five locomotives over France yesterday. Two of them were accounted for by an Australian pilot who recently damaged six trains in six minutes. German hit and run raiders killed 172 people in Britain last month. A total of 205 were injured. This is a decrease compared with the figures for March. Brooke Cabinet Supported.—The Northern Ireland House of Commons carried Sir Basil Brooke’s motion of confidence in his Government without a division.—London. May 12.