AUSTRALIAN HELP

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24797, 11 February 1946, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN HELP

1,000,000 TONS OF FOODSTUFFS

(Rec. 10.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, Feb. 10. Australia is sending 1,000,000 tons of foodstuffs to relieve Britain’s desperate food shortage. Some of the rood has been sent and the remainder will be shipped during the year. The Federal Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. J. Scully) said that food was being sent to Britain as fast as ships could carry it. The shipments include flour, beef, mutton, lamb, tinned meat, butter, canned fruit, pork, cheese, eggs, jams, canned milk, and rabbits. Arrangements were being made to send 1,000,000 cases of shell eggs and 20.000,0001 b of egg pulp, also 1,500,000 bushels of apples. The New South Wales Minister of Agriculture (Mr E. H. Graham) revealed that New South Wales flour mills were working three shifts to provide flour for Britain.-

An appeal to all workers to speed the flow of food to Britain has been issued by the emergency committee of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions.

This month Australia will export to Britain 5000 tons of meat, 5000 tons of butter and 1000 tons of cheese.

Sir Thomas Gordon, representative in Australia of the British Ministry of War Shipping, said the cargoes shipped in January and now arriving in Britain include 3000 tons of meat, 7500 tons of butter, 2500 tons of cheese, 2000 tons of eggs, and 3500 tons of canned meat. Within the next two months ships picking up cargoes in Australia would go on to New Zealand and load 100,000 tons of meat for England. “During February Australia will ship 180,000 tons of wheat, mostly on Britain's account to the Near and Far East. This will make-it possible for Britain to obtain large quantities of wheat and flour from countries closer to her. Except for refrigerated space for fruit, enough shipping has been arranged to lift all the food Australia can get to British ports in the next two months.”