FOOD SUPPLIES FOR FRANCE

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24653, 24 August 1945, Page 5

FOOD SUPPLIES FOR FRANCE

BRITISH AND U.S. AID ANNOUNCED

EFFORTS TO PREVENT WINTER SHORTAGES

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(Rec. 9 p.m.) PARIS, August 28. Many hundreds of thousands of French people who had expected to suffer acutely from lack of food in the winter months are now assured of a reasonable amount of nourishment The French Food Minister (M. Pineau), after visiting Britain and America, has announced that under a British-French agreement signed in Washington France will buy a minimum of 10 per cent, of the British Argentine meat contract.

Britain has agreed to advance France 50,000 tons of sugar, which France will | return from sugar from the French : West Indies. i France is also importing from the i United States and Canada 350.000 tons I of wheat a month, of which 200,000 tons 1 is going to French North Africa. I The Combined Food Board in WashI ington has allocated to France 200.000 tons of fats for the second half of this year. France is also importing 60,000 tons of meat, both tinned and in carcases. by the end of the year, and 1.000,000 tons of agricultural machinery, chemical manure, and insecticide* t month, principally from America. M. Pineau promised that the people would receive an average of 2500 food calories daily by October. France would receive as many imports as she could handle with her present port facilities.

DUTCH MEAT RATION CUT BY HALF

(Rec. 8 p.m.) THE HAGUE, August 23. The Dutch Minister of Agriculture (Mr S. L. Mansholt) has announced a 50 per cent, cut in the Dutch meat ration from September 2, bringing it to three ounces a week.

BISHOP WAND’S ELECTION

UPROAR AT CHURCH SERVICE

APPOINTMENT TO SEE OF LONDON LONDON, August 22. There was an uproar from the congregation when the Bishop-elect of London, the Rt. Rev. J. W. C. Wand, entered the Church of St Mary, Woblnoth, London, for the confirmation service.

Cries of: "I protest!” and “We protest" came from all sides as Dr. Wand and the vicar-general of the Province of Canterbury (Sir Philip BakerWilbraham) headed the procession up the aisle.

Two protests from the. Protestant Truth Society and the National Union of Protestants against Dr. Wand's confirmation had to be presented to the vicar-general before the confirmation service began. The protests, which were dismissed by a private meeting in the vestry, claimed that Dr. Wand was not a fit and proper person for confirmation in the see of London,

The disturbances continued unceasingly while the confirmation service was in progress, and the verger left the church and returned with a ooliceman. The congregation chanted in unison: “We protest!" It was impossible to hear anything of the service. Mr John Kensit, leader of the Protestant Truth Society, in a protest, claimed that the line of demarcation between the Church of England and the Church of Rome had been altogether obliterated in a number of churches in the London diocese. "I have failed to gain from the Bishopelect any pledge that he will deal with these cases,” said Mr Kensit “Moreover, Dr. Wand himself professes to belong to the Anglo-Catholic school. It can only be assumed that there is no redress for the aggrieved parishioners if this election is confirmed. Dr. Wand is an unsuitable person to deal with, the erroneous and strange doctrines of Roman Catholicism as practised in this diocese.”

Mr W. Sinclair Taylor, directorgeneral of the National Union of Protestants, submitted b photograph to the vicar-general. He alleged that the photograph showed Dr. Wand and other members of the clergy participating in a Mass. Mr Taylor later walked down the aisle and showed the photograph to members of the congregation. After the service was over, Mr Taylor asked the congregation to remain. He said: “We have written to the Archbishop of Canterbury and seen the vicar-general, but we cannot persuade these people how wrong they are." Those who protested, on leaving the church, sang the “battle hymn" of the National Union of Protestants.

Mr Taylor later said that he was a clergyman. “I put my collar on back to front because I wanted to protest as an ordinary layman,” he added.

IDLE COAL MINES IN N.S.W.

“STAY-IN” STRIKE SPREADS

(Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 23. Eight New South Wales mines were idle to-day over a bathroom. Three hundred miners at two more northern pits went on strike in sympathy with the “stay-in” strikers at the Rhondda colliery. All told, 16 pits were not working to-day, resulting in a total loss of 17,000 tons of coal, and this, a day after the announcement of railway service cuts and a warning by the Coal Commissioner (Mr N. R. Migbell) that industries would have to be curtailed owing to the coal shortage. The Rhondda men, who have been staging a “stay-in" strike since Monday morning, came out of the pit today, after having been down 75 hours, but before they had come up two other collieries had gone on strike in miners marched on the Rhondda colliery last night, tore cmt the partitions from the old bathroom, and completed the construction of a new bathroom. These 30 men were on strike in sympathy with the Rhondda “stay-in” strikers, who ceased work on Monday morning because their new bathroom was not comPl The Newcastle police were called to the mine and Commonwealth peace officers were also present The colliery manager later said; "This lawlessness must be put dowm We are taking definite action to end The completion of the bathroom was planned to end the “stay-in" strike, but the Rhondda men are still underground. They came part of the way up the tunnel, discussed the situation with officers of other district lodges, and then took a vote. The majority of the men decided that, although the bathroom was completed, they would not go to the surface until hot water was available.

British Ministry of Works,—The Minister of Works (Mr G. Tomlinson) has accepted the resignations of Sir Hugh Beaver and General Sir Frederick Pile, director-general and controllergeneral of the Ministry of Works respectively. It is officially stated that the resignations will facilitate the reorganisation of the Ministry of Works upon the alteration of its responsibilities in relation to housing.—London, August 23.