AUSTRALIA’S FOOD PRODUCTION

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 128, 25 February 1944, Page 4

AUSTRALIA’S FOOD PRODUCTION

Export Diversion STATEMENT BY HIGH COMMISSIONER

In commenting on a Press re[iort showing a decline in the volume of food exported from Australia to Great Brit' ain since the first year of the war, the High Commissioner for Australia, Mr. D'Alton, pointed out that the way the' figures were published was likely • to create a wrong impression about Australia’s food production. “With the exception of dairy production,” he said, “Australia’s food production had been increased, and today Australia has more cattle, sheep and pigs than two Jyeais ago." With Japan’s entry into the war, Australia had been called on to supply vast quantities of food to all parts of tha Pacific, the Middle East, and to India, and this was the main factor in the reduced exports to England. “It would be unwise to go into details of tue amounts supplied to various sectors or allies,” said Mr. D'Alton, “but to give an indication of the type of. orders Australia is being called on to supply, I will quote just one order for canned meat which involved 227,000,0001 b. carcase weight, and the same story applies ’ to other classes of primary production. - “In these | times of shipping difficulties, it is obvious that the best use must be made of ships, therefore Australia has been called on to assume vast responsibilities on the food front in adjacent areas. This has been accomplished with the concurrence of the Allied Nations.

“Besides maintaining food production, Australia has established and given effecr to a munitions programme which has amazed the world. This has been accomplished despite the fact that since the first year <ff the war, from which time the figures quoted in the Press articles showed a decline, Australia increased fourfold the number of enlistments in the armed forces. The growth of ail arms of the forces, together with the enormous expansion of munitions industries and the maintenance of food pr >- duction is truly a remarkable achievement.”