HOMELAND HAPPENINGS

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 April 1938, Page 7

HOMELAND HAPPENINGS

WAR-TIME FOOD [BY CABLE PRESS ASSN. COPYRIGIfT.J RUGBY. April 28. A broad outline of the preparations being made for feeding the nation in time of war is given in a report issued by the Food Defence Plans Department of the Board of Trade. The aim of the department is to anticipate every 'important problem which a future Food Controller might be called upon to deal with dul’ing, say the first six months, and to prepare plans for each problem which could be put into operation with the minimum delay and the maximum goodwill on the part of the food trades concerned. DENMARK’S PURCHASES RUGBY, April 28. Denmark has agreed to make increased purchases of United Kingdom goods. The Secretary of the Department of Overseas Trade (Mr. R. S. Hudson) informed the House of Commons that certain trade matters had recently been the subject of discussion with competent Danish authorities. Denmark had now made an offer, which had been accepted by Britain, to provide facilities for increasing by about 20.000,000 kroner her imports of a wide range of United Kingdom goods, including coal and textiles. BUDGET PASSED LONDON. April 29. During the Budget debate in the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir J. Simon) admilted that the Budget had not been enthusiastically received. He argued that he could not be accused of being tender with the rich, considering that £12,000,000 had come under the Budget from 100,000 surtax-payers.

The formal Budget resolutions were passed without division. AIRCRAFT EXPANSION RUGBY, April 28. Asked in the House of Commons for an assurance that the aircraft expansion programme was progressing satisfactorily according to schedule and that deliveries were not in arrears, the Under-Secretary for Air (Mr. A. J. Muirhead) answered: “As explained in the memorandum accompanying this year’s aid estimates, the production of air frames was slower in the earlier stages than had been hoped when the programme was planned. Deliveries are now pro ceeding to plan.”