BRITAIN’S FOOD SITUATION

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25365, 12 December 1947, Page 7

BRITAIN’S FOOD SITUATION

“Frankly Recognised As Precarious’’

SUPPLY EFFORTS BY GOVERNMENT [From E, G. WEBBER, Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.J

(Rec, 8 p.m3 LONDON. Dec. 11. The dispatch of a British food mission to Australia, with supplementary discussions in New Zealand, which was announced by the Minister of Food (Mr John Strachey) yesterday, is only part of a concerted drive which the British Government is making in the effort to reinforce Britain’s precarious food situation. That the situation is precarious is frankly recognised by the Government, which has already expressed its misgivings about the effect of the low calory intake. Behind the scenes the British Medical Association is conducting a semiofficial investigation into the nutritive value of Britain’s difet, and a Government scientific committee *as been set up to report upon the same general problem. Although some predictions of slow starvation made by individual medical men and by those concerned only with political polemics are discounted, there is no doubt that both officially and unofficially the food situation is causing increasing anxiety. From a scientific point of view it is'•felt that the proportion of both proteins and vitamins in the ration scale is dangerously low and that urgent efforts must be made to supplement supplies. The present official daily calory intake of 2700 is 300 less than it was in 1938, and lower even than it was at the end of the war. There are doubts whether in practice even this figure can be substantiated among some sections of the population. Black marketing is one difficulty. The black market in Britain is still inconsiderable by Continental standards, but its growing threat may be seen in the extent of the powers the Government is now exercising to combat it.

Food Missions Abroad At present British food missions are bargaining in Russia, Canada, and the Argentine, and negotiations on a smaller scale are in progress, or about to commence, with Jugoslavia and Denmark. The Russian and Jugoslav negotiations are largely dependent upon political factors which at present, to put it mildly, are discouraging. The Canadian talks, which have the most immediate importance, are at a very critical stage and in Canada are regarded pessimistically. Since Canada supplies three-quarters of the total British imports of bacon and twothirds of the total imports of wheat, any cessation in these supplies would have disastrous consequences in Britain.

The position in the Argentine is little better, although this week there have been revived reports that the long-deferred sale of the British-owned railways in that country may go through, permitting further purchases of food with the proceeds. At the present moment the British trade delegation in Buenos Aires is reported to be urging the Argentine Government to expedite shipments of cereals to Britain by every possible means. British Home Production All these sources of overseas supply must of course be seen against the background of British domestic food production. Although the Government has announced ambitious plans to stimulate this output, these cannot have any effect until next autumn at least. To-day agricultural writers agree that next year’s home food production will be about the same as last year. It may even be a little less, according to the season, Britain must still import over half the food she needs to feed her population. On a long view the prospects of increasing home food production are regarded much more optimistically, but this will not assist the British people over the next critical six months. During that period the maintenance of even the present border, line ration scale must depend, not' upon long term development plans such as those envisaged in Australia, but upon the stimulation of current production both at home and overseas, and the use of any possible ad- ,„„,? na 1 ,£ ourc es of supply through new trade agreements.