FOOD FOR BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 25770, 17 April 1946, Page 9

FOOD FOR BRITAIN

NATIONAL COLLECTION OF FATS SCHEME DIVERSION TO SOAP-MAKING (P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 16. A national scheW for the collection of fat in the Food for Britain campaign has been arranged by the National Famine Emergency Committee. From now on everyone is asked to save every kind of fat except burnt fat. Fats collected under the scheme will be paid for and the greater part of them will be diverted to soap manufacture in , New Zealand. The manufacturers, in turn, will not receive the supplies of exportable fats that are available now. The money received as a result of this voluntary fat drive will be controlled by the National Famine Emergency Committee. SAVINGS OF BUTTER AND MEAT. Savings in butter and meat as a result of the rationing of these foodstuffs in New Zealand were announced by the rationing controller, Mr A.. J. Cos.telloe, in an address to-night in which he appealed for support for the Food for Britain campaign inaugurated by the Famine Emergency Committee, of which he is a member. Since the inception of butter rationing in October, 1943. he said, New Zealand had saved 26,000 tons of butter, and over 40,000 tons of meat had been withdrawn from- civilian consumption in the two years that meat had been a rationed commodity. A total of 130,000 baconer pigs had been withdrawn from civilian consumption since'June, 1943, by unofficial rationing of ham and bacon. Britain was in dire need of baconer carcasses, said Mr Costelloe, and there was consequently an obligation on New Zealand to save all the ham and bacon she could. New Zealand's contribution had, been good but the people could assist further by voluntary rationing. These further contributions would either assist Britain to maintain her meagre ration or increase it. Britain was also short of fats, apart from butter and cheese, and everyone should begin at once to save surplus household fat. Some of the reasons for the shortage of food in the world to-day, said Mr Costelloe, were that stock piles of reserves had disappeared during the war and that labour and man power were not available to attend to the cultivation of the land and crops.