Short rations for 1952 Britain

Press, 8 January 1983, Page 7

Short rations for 1952 Britain

frZPA London Britain was on an enforced diet in 1952 because the country could not afford enough to eat. hitherto secret Cabinet papers have revealed. The population was eating less than the minimum needed to sustain normal growth in both adults and children. After cuts in food imports because of the economic crisis, the daily calorie intake for 1952 was estimated at 2830 per head. This was comparable with the diet of the prewar unemployed, the Minister of Food warned Sir Winston Churchill's Cabinet. To preserve health and working efficiency, the population required an average food intake of 2900 calories per head per day. In 1952, the national diet had fallen below the level of earlier post-war years when there was evidence of appreciable weight loss in adults and children. For some basic foods, the position was much worse. The Minister of Food, Mr

Gwilym Lloyd-George, warned: “Total meat con;J>. sumption will be well below X and butter consumption roughly comparable with the estimated 1880 figure. “Cheese and sugar consumption will have reverted to the 1909 level and fat consumption to the 1924 level. The general pattern of the national diet will be comparable to that of 50 years ago. except for a more liberal supply of eggs and higher consumption of milk.” The bacon ration was down to soz a week and the Government was about to cut the butter ration to 2oz to save foreign currency. The Minister of Food said: “I would ask my colleagues to consider very earnestly whether, if our people are to maintain the stamina and energy 'needed for the great production effort which clearly lies ahead, we can

afford the possibility of further cuts in our basic food.” The crisis was also highlighted in warnings to the Cabinet by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr R. A. Butler. He told the Cabinet in January. 1952: "The gold and dollar reserves continue to fall at an alarming rate."

Despite devaluation by the Labour government in 1949 the gold reserves by the middle of 1952 were liable to have fallen to about the same level as in 1949. His memorandum said: "Unless we can stem this tide it will swallow us up and we shall reach a point at which we can no longer buy the basic food and raw materials on which this island depends." Britain's almost total dependence on the United States for economic assistance was influencing decisions in other fields, according to the Foreign Secretary, Sir Anthony Eden. Sir Anthony, after a visit to Washington, told the Cabinet that it was essential that everything possible be done “to re-establish the country’s financial and economic independence.” This was a priority even if rearmament had to wait.

Sir Anthony told the Cabinet that the United States was helpful and not critical of the balance-of-payments situation.

“But her attitude is affected by our dependent situation." he said.

Mr Butler put forward a series of measures designed to cut imports and boost exports. To boost engineering exports, steel had to be imported from the United States.

The rearmament programme was making heavy demands on the steel industry and delaying recovery, he said. There had to be definite and effective cuts in the defence programme. More

emphasis had to be put or productive industry and less on social investment, including housing.

Mr Butler was later tc clash with his Cabinet colleagues over an election commitment to build 300,00 C houses a year. More coal had to be mined. Coal was needed both as a source of energy and as an export to earn foreign exchange. To produce more coal would be a touchstone of Britain’s ability to handle its own affairs, he told the Cabinet.

Italian miners were recruited to work in British mines as part of the drive for more coal. But the Cabinet documents reveal how this plan ran into trouble. A few months later the Cabinet was told there was deadlock in the employment of Italians in British mines. British miners were refusing to work with them.

National leaders in the National Union of Mineworkers often did not approve of the local action, but refused to support the reinstatement of the Italians.

A number of reasons were being offered. One was that Italian miners were attracting local girls.

The Cabinet was told that there was a lot to lose and not much to gain by pursuing the policy in the face of such determined opposition. Mr Butler also proposed cuts in allowances for tourists as a means of saving on foreign exchange, and Ministers urged cuts in the import of American films which were costing much-needed dollars. But one Minister, not named in the records, said it was difficult to do this unless cinema audiences could be cut.

" Mr Butler, however, pointed out that there was an agreement with the American film industry which could not be set aside.