END OF BREAD RATIONING

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25554, 23 July 1948, Page 7

END OF BREAD RATIONING

BRITISH MINISTER’S ANNOUNCEMENT REDUCTION OF MILK ALLOWANCE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, July 21. The Minister of Food (Mr John Straphey) announced in the House of Commons this c-fternoon that bread and flour rationing would end on Sunday. Bread and flour -rationing was begun two years ago to-day. The Ministry of Food has announced that the domestic milk allowance from Sunday will be reduced from three pints to two and a half pints weekly. Mr Strachey gave a warning that both the quantity of wheat and Britain’s financial reserves were strictly limited. BRITISH FARM PRODUCTION MINISTER REVIEWS PROGRESS (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) 4Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, July 22. British agriculture, the country’s greatest dollar saver, is well over the first hurdle in the Government’s £100,060,000 expansion programme. Mr Tom Williams. Minister of Agriculture, told the House of Commons this when he reviewed the results of the last year’s effort. Britain had recovered from the disaster of 1947 and was forging ahead, he said. “Now we are looking forward to yields which are in excess of the 10-year average. If we are lucky with the weather in the next few weeks,* I anticipate an output in 1948-49 which will reach the peak level of 1943-44.” Referring to agriculture machinery, Mr Williams said that the industry’s consumption of steel had doubled in the last two years. Very big orders for farm machinery had been given to manufacturers, ana most types of agribultural machinery were being produced at 10 times the rate in 1938. Certain special types of machinery would have to continue to be imported since they were not made in Britain, and as many as could be acquired would be imported. The Government was. however, engaged in the stimulating of new ventures. “We have now reached the stage,” he continued. “where we are not only meeting the general needs of the home market, but will be producing, we hope, by the end of this year, £3,000,000 worth a month for the home market and £2,000,000 worth a month for export.” More phosphate fertilisers would be provided and next year the Govern ment hoped to break all records for the supply of nitrogen fertilisers. BRITAIN NEEDS MORE COAL LONDON. July 21. The present rate of Britain’s coal production would make it impossible to maintain the export programme said the President of the Board of Trade (Mr Harold Wilson). There had been considerable exports of raw wool and the increase in wool production had been continuous, exceeding the average for 1947. The rate of deliveries of finished cloth had increased more slowly, being 13 per cent, up on June, 1947.

Exports of machinery were a record and had recently doubled the average of 1938. Motor-cars to a total of 1,158,000 and 34,000 commercial vehicles . had been exported in the past six months compared with 59,500 cars and 23,100 commercial vehicles in the same period last year. Mr Wilson said that Britain had cracked the mid-1948 target of 140 per cent, and advanced considerably towards the end of the year target of 150 per cent. That was a very fine achievement. Mr Wilson added that the woollen industry-was finding the problem one of selling rather than of production, because of the import restrictions abroad which were hitting the textile industry badly. This problem of selling and producing cheaply enough was a big difficulty in many industries.

Swedish Newsprint for Britain.— The Board of Trade has announced that Sweden will send Britain more newsprint and Britain will increase her exports to Sweden.—London, July 21.