IMPORTED FOODSTUFFS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3017, 2 March 1917, Page 6

IMPORTED FOODSTUFFS

:' EFFECT OF BRITISH PROHIBITION. New Zealand housewives are going io be put to.a certain amount of inconvenience by the prohibition of the export of foodstuffs from, the United Kingdom. It is. not known yet hoir strictly the prohibition is going to be enforced, that is, to what extent it will be modified by the issue of export but advices already received in Wellington indicate.that some familiar lines will bo unobtainable in this country when existing stocks have been" exhausted. Already seme advances in prices are threatened. are awaiting fuller information from their London agents regarding the scope of the proaibition before they proceed to make any new arrangements that may be necessary.

The consumers of this country are not dependent upon the "United Kingdom for any important articles of food, but the imports from Britain before the war included a considerable quantity of edibles, such as cheose, condensed milk, canned and smoked fish, potted and preserved meat, biscuits, jams, and jellies, confectionery and chocolate, pickles and patent * foods. This list, which includes ju-acticallr all the important items, contains no articleof consumption that- is not produced locally, and the returns show that the Dominion has been drawing freely upon countries other than the tirdted Kingdom. In 1914, for. example, New Zealand spent £92,000 on imported fresh, canned, and smoked'fish, but of this money only £22,50-1 www to Britain. About half the imported confectionery and chocolate came from ihe United Kingdom in 1914, and .nearly all the imported dairy produce. But these articles may fairly be regsrded as luxuries.

It is apparently the intention of the Imperial Government to disallow the export of tinned and preserved fish of nil kinds from the United Kingdom. Supplies have been curtailed i'or some time past. The new order may mean the temporary disappearance from the local market of some popular lines of tinned herrings and other fish. Tinned salmon ought to be in plentiful supply, since the British, authorities, after cutting off American exports f.o the Central Powers by means of the blockade, has now reduced by one-half the imports of tinned salmon, into the United Kingdom. The American salmon packers have lost a very important part of their market.

Supplies of biscuits frcm the United Kingdom will be cut off altogether. Tlio imported biscuits are chiefly high-grade varieties that would not he regarded as ordinary articles- of food. Supplies of confectionery and chocolate will be re'dncedj possibly to the vanishing point. The_ Imperial Government has been enjoining the people of Britain to exercise economy in the consumption of sugar, and it is now taking steps to enforces its wishes in this respect. The manufacture of fancy confections in 'the TTnited Kingdom is to bo severely limited: Certain brands of infant foods and cereal preparations may become unobtainable, but New Zealand can draw upon the American market for necessary articles of this kind. Fancy cheeses, condensed milk, potted meats, bottled- fruits, jams and preserves are foodstuffs that New Zealand really has no need to import 'at any time, since excellent articles of .local production are available.