FOOD FOR BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25390, 13 January 1948, Page 5

FOOD FOR BRITAIN

Sir, —Unfortunately, the Chief Postmaster’s reply to “Inquirer” on how he can save his Christmas butter ration for Britain is pure eyewfish. The fact that the coupon if “handed to any post office” is “recorded” and “reported” to the Aid to Britain Committee is valueless. This butter has already been allocated to the grocers, on whose honesty and integrity depend whether the butter gets to Britain. At the end of this ration period his returns must show a surplus of butter, and he consequently underdraws his rations for the next period. Excuse my cynicism, but with 400 gallons of black market cream a month, disposed of in Christchurch, it is rather hard to believe in the honesty or sincerity of anybody! —Yours, etc., GWENDOLINE S. L. JELLETT. December 23, 1947. [Commenting cn this letter a reply from the Post and Telegraph Office says: “As the correspondent states, the retailer must show a surplus of butter in his returns and under-draws his allowances to that extent in the next period, thus effecting the required saving in local consumption. The effective operation* of this scheme certainly depends largely on the honesty and integrity of lhe grocers, but there is no reason to believe that they are any less sincere in their desire to aid Britain than other sections of the com- ] munity.”]