PARLIAMENT Complaints About Food On Frigate Pukaki

Press, Volume C, Issue 29624, 21 September 1961, Page 16

PARLIAMENT Complaints About Food On Frigate Pukaki

(NZ. Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 20. Mr N. J. King (Opposition, Waitemata) told the House of Representatives today that a petty officer on H.MJN.Z.S. Pukaki had written to his wife that the food on the frigate was “lousy.” A rating told his fiancee he had lost “quite a bit” of weight and would have lost more if he had not had good meals ashore. Another rating had complained he had received only half a pear as a sweet for one evening meal.

Mr King earlier asked the Minister of Defence (Mr Eyre) if he would investigate food shortages on the Pukaki which were causing widespread concern among wives and mothers. Mr King quoted a letter from a seaman: “Tonight at teatime there was not one slice of bread to be had among 55 men down below because no bread had been baked the night before.” In his reply Mr Eyre said: "An investigation has revealed that when leaving Hong Kong, the Pukaki deliberately embarked only sufficient bread for the passage and ordered fresh bread to be available in Singapore. A tropical storm made it impossible to bake bread on board the ship, and delayed

• her arrival by 24 hours, • during which period biscuits i were issued instead.” i Mr Eyre said the command- ■ ing officer reported that i ratings had been encouraged to discuss food at ship’s wel- ■ fare committee meetings. Any > complaint had immediately . been satisfactorily remedied, I either by providing extras or f some alternative issue. i “The welfare and health of our troops on overseas duties : is of first priority and the . service does everything pos- ; sible to ensure a happy . ship,” said Mr Eyre. ’ Discussing the reply, Mr . King asked Mr Eyre to inl vestigate the possibility of sending food from New Zea- ■ land to supply New Zealand i ships in foreign waters. Mr Eyre said food was gen-

erally drawn from British sendee supplies in the Far East. “This is considered more efficient than sending food from New Zealand,” he said.

Mr Eyre said Mr King should have taken the complaints to him instead of trying to make political capital out of them.

Mr King: It’s one way of making sure the Minister does something about it. Mr Eyre said there were proper channels for complaints about food in the services. Men could complain to the cook, and if they were not satisfied, they could complain to an officer. “Ratings could demand to see the captain,” he added. The New Zealand Navy's rations were "very good indeed,” Mr Eyre said. “Most people lose weight in the tropics. I lost weight there myself,” he added.

Mr Eyre said he would be pleased to examine specific complaints about food. Mr P. G. Connolly (Opposition, Dunedin Central), former Minister of pefence and a former naval officer, said it was wrong to accuse Mr King of making political capital out of the complaints. “Wide publicity has been given to these complaints,” he said. “It is very bad for recruiting.” Mr Connolly said food was very important in maintaining morale.

“It’s news to me that ratings should go to the cook

and say ‘the food’s no so-and-so good.’ I can imagine what the cook would say to him.”

Mr Connolly quoted from a letter from a man on the Pukaki giving one day’s menu. This listed:

Breakfast: Cereal, grilled bacon, bubble and squeak. Dinner: Hapa salad and mayonnaise, baked potatoes, steamed fruit pudding, raspberry sauce. Supper: Soup, fish cakes, fresh tomatoes, chip potatoes. Mis* M. B. Howard (Opposition, Sydenham): That sounds pretty good. Mr Connolly: Yes, but thi* is what turned up.

He quoted from the letter "Breakfast: Corn flakes, tinned milk, bacon (one very small dried up piece), bubble and squeak (cold, greasy and salty). “Dinner: One slice of ham, wilted lettuce, onions and cucumber (very bitter), baked jacket potatoes (halves with black holes in the centres), pudding that stuck to plates upside down, raspberry sauce (jam watered down and heated).

“Supper: Half a cup of soup per man if you got in first. Fish was bad and not enough, so most got tinned corned beef. Far East tomatoes are vile. The chips were black and greasy from cooking in over-used fat.”