FOOD IN WARTIME

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 111, 13 May 1939, Page 25

FOOD IN WARTIME

BRITAIN'S PLANS

GOVERNMENT SOLE BUYER

METHODS OF CONTROL

(By Air Mail, from "The Post's" London

Representative.)

LONDON, April 20,

In the event of war. all Britain's food is to be bought by the Government. There will be a rigid system of price control and rationing of meat, butter, and sugar. Already 60,000,000 rationing cards are ready for distribu-j tion, and plans have been finalised for a Ministry of Food to work through 19 regional offices with 1400 local com-i mittees. ' . These plans were officially announced this week by the Food Defence Department. The Ministry of Food would be the sole importer of all -j foodstuffs brought to this country, and; the sole purchaser of all home supplies as they left the farm or factory. The wholesaler would buy from the Ministry of Food at prescribed prices, and the retailer from the wholesaler, also at prescribed prices, a reasonable margin of profit being permitted. It is thought that this arrangement would prevent profiteering and speculation, and would also minimise the risks of loss, damage, and delay. Existing importers, acting as Government agents, would continue to handle foodstuffs on arrival, and committees of importers would be set up in each port area to co-operate with port emergency committees in supervising, unloading, storage, and distribution. Retailers will be permitted to buy stocks only after receiving a certificate from j the local food control committee. LOCAL COMMITTEES. The Food Defence Department is now discussing with leading representatives of traders in each important food commodity how bulk supplies can best be controlled and distributed under war conditions. Immediately on the outbreak of hostilities about 1400 local food control committees, each operating in the area of a local authority, would be set up to deal with retail trade. Food executive officers for «each committee have already been appointed. In most places the officer is the clerk to the local authority. The general functions of the committees would be to register and licence retail traders, certify retailers' requirements in regard to wholesale supplies and administer the rationing scheme. In order to facilitate distribution committees of traders have also been set up in every part of the country. Their task would be to make alternative arrangements if local sources of supply should cease to be available owing to air attack or some other cause. .Reserves of wheat, sugar, and whale oil already held by the Government would be used where necessary to tide over any dislocation in the flow of supplies. Arrangements have been made to take over immediately such bodies as the Wheat Commission, the Sugar Commission, the Livestock Commission, and the Potato Marketing Board. The Milk Marketing Board would probably continue to function as in peacetime, but under the supervision of the Food Controller. GENERAL OVERSIGHT. In order that these comprehensive plans may be carried out effectively food control officers who would work at the Ministry .of Food headquarters have been appointed. They have been selected by the Food Defence Department from the various trades concerned. Such places as Smithfield Market and Billingsgate would be decentralised and would operate in units spread around the fringe of London. Two officers selected are New Zealanders. Mr. R. S. Forsyth, British representative, New Zealand Meat Producers' Board, will be in charge of imported meat supplies, and Mr. H. E. Davis, Lbnddft manager, New Zealand Dairy Sales Division, will control the distribution of butter. Extensive preparations have also been made for wartime rationing. There Would be rationing of butchers" meat, bacon and ham, butter and margarine, lard, dripping, and other cooking fats, and sugar. The quantities haVe not yet been fixed, but all these foodstuffs except butchers' meat would be rationed on the basis of weight. For meat the price basis would be adopted in order to allow those who wished to do so to buy larger quantities of cheaper meat. A general rationing of food is thought unlikely. The necessary documents have been prepared, and those which would be required in the initial stage have been distributed to local offices. The first document is the household application form. After this had been filled in householders would be issued with cards or books to enable them to make their regular purchases of prescribed quantities, the public being asked to register with a retailer for each rationed food.

Under a temporary scheme 19,000,000 household application forms and 60,000,000 ration cards have been prepared, but a more up-to-date rationing scheme, which would operate for six months at least is being worked out. Under this scheme 80,000,000 ration cards would be sent out, the additional 20,000,000 being for people who, by reason of the class of work upon which they were engaged, would be entitled to receive extra meat rations. The cards are being printed on special paper as a safeguard against forgery.