COLONIAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Evening Star, Issue 23421, 11 November 1939, Page 12

COLONIAL SELF-SUFFI-CIENCY

CAMPAIGN FDR FOOD PRODUCTION (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 10. (Received November 11, at noon.) Following a recent broadcast by the Colonial Secretary, announcing that the colonial Governments were going to increase their production of foodstuffs for domestic consumption so that the colonies would be rendered, as far as possible, independent of imported supplies, a memorandum has now been sent to the colonies, compiled by the agricultural advisers of Mr Malcolm MacDonald. Britain’s policy is to -encourage, as much as possible, local production of foodstuffs, which will not only save foreign exchange and shipping space, but also be beneficial in improving the health of the people. Steps are now being taken throughout the colonial Empire to arrange immediately for the stimulation of greatly increased local production. In a number of the dependencies, particularly the West Indies, where schemes of land settlement have been embarked upon to a considerable extent, particular attention will no doubt be given in the existing circumstances to the production of additional foodstuffs, while probably ad hoc measures to affect production will have to be adopted. For some time past, in practically all the dependencies, there has been growing a realisation that imported foods could with advantage be reduced. Consequently the agricultural policy has been directed towards increased local production of foodstuffs. Thus the present emergency may be regarded as an occasion demanding, not so much the institution of a new policy, as intensification of a previously determined effort. . BRITISH UNEMPLOYED WAR CAUSES RISE IN NUMBER (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 9. The Ministry of Labour estimates that the number of registered unemployed on October 16 was 1,430,638, comprising 1,221,655 wholly unemployed, 146,461 temporarily laid off, and 62,532 normally in casual employment. This was 99,719 more than a month before, but 350,589 fewer than a year ago. Increases in unemployment occurred in building, public works, contracting, hotel and boarding house service, distributive trades and the printing industry among other occupations, while the coal mining, textile, and clothing industries wore among the occupations in which there was a reduction. VARIOUS CAUSES (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 10. (Received November 11, at 11 a.m.) In connection with the increase of 99.000 in unemployment last month Labour correspondents of newspapers point out that the figure included 28.000 persons, mainly women registering for war work who were uninsured and non-claimants. They also remarked that the biggest increases are in the distributive and other trades affected by evacuation, and that they have occurred in evacuated areas. Fifty-five thousand out of the total rise of 99,000 is in respect to the London area alone. NEW ZEALAND PILOT'S DEATH PROMINENT TARANAKI ATHLETE [Feb United Press Association, i NEW PLYMOUTH, November 10. Advice of the death of Pilot-officer Augustus Harold Ryan on active service, with the Royal Air Force, was received to-day ,He was the son of Mr and Mrs T J Ryan, of New Plymouth, and hail a prominent athletic career at the New Plymouth High School. REFUGEE'S APPRECIATION SURRENDERS LAST VALUABLE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 10. (Received November 11, at 11.30 a.m.) A German-Jewish woman whose son was rescued from a Nazi prison camp by the intervention of English friends, sent a gold watch and chain, her husband’s wedding present and the last valuable left to her, to be sold on behalf of the Overseas Tobacco Fund for British soldiers at the front. RETURNING ID INDIA OFFICE SIR FINDLATER STEWART (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 10. (Received November 11, at 11.30 a.m.) Owing to developments in the political situation in India, Sir Findlater Stewart, whose services were lent to tho Ministry of Information soon after the outbreak of war, is returning at an early date to resume his normal duties as permanent Under-Secrotary at the India Office. Sir Kenneth Lee, at present Director of Radio Eolations and Communications in the Ministry of Information, will succeed Sir Findlater Stewart as director.