WAR-TIME RATIONING

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 March 1946, Page 7

WAR-TIME RATIONING

REDUCED WORLD CONSUMPTION IMPERATIVE

REFERENCE TO NEW ZEALAND NEW YORK, March 19.

Mr H. H. Lehman, retiring Direc-tor-General of UNRRA, told the UNRRA Council that the world must return to war-time rationing. He said: “I know that far greater sacrifices can be made without injury by all exporting countries, such as the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.” UNRRA’s needs were only partly met, he said. The Combined Food Board 'allocated to UNRRA only 43,000 metric tons of. fats for the second quarter of 1946, instead of the requested 203,000 tons. Mr Lehman added: “I am convinced that those countries which fought the enemy deserve to be considered first.” Sir Charles Berendsen (New Zealand) said that if there must be suffering it should be at the expense of the European aggressors and those in the Far East. Archbishop's Appeal “Everything that can be done to ensure the food essential for all

peoples, even for those last in the queue, must be done, and it is for us to assure the Government that we are ready and anxious to answer every call for sacrifice that they make upon us,” said the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. G. F. Fisher) in a statement in London. “The gaunt horror of famine and death by starvation threatens millions in India, China, Germany, and elsewhere. So vast is the scale of destitution that only international action over a long period, pooling the world’s resources, and distributing them systematically, can mitigate and finally overcome the evil. “I have every confidence that our own Government, with its special responsibility for this country, for India, and for the British zone in Germany, is doing everything that seems possible, but we just cannot leave it there.” The Archbishop added that the British people must realise that the rations in the British zone in Germany barely sustained life. It was indeed grim that they should have to take Belsen conditions as a comparison. Fair Distribution. Governments could cope adequately with starvation only if they agreed on what was fair distribution, and had backing and pressure from their peoples to secure it. Fail' distribution meant a good deal more than just saying that Germany must come at the end of the queue. Germany must do so, but in Britain the food queue rested on the principle _ of everyone getting a share of essentials and special classes of workers getting' rather more. . “I think the Government, is afraid

of offending public opinion by saying too much about the extremities of famine or by asking too much from us,” he said. “I am confident that I speak for all Chistian people when I say to the Government: ‘Tell us the facts in official statements, month by month. Do not apologise for asking us to save, to accept restrictions,, to make sacrifices. Ask, and we are willing to support you. Under God we are one family.’ ” POSITIOnTn BRITAIN NO INCREASE IN FAT RATION LONDON, March 19. Hopes that Britain’s fat ration might be less severe during the coming year have been abandoned because expectations have not been fulfilled that the production of margarine would be increased. There are two reasons for this, first, the failure of the rains in India, causing a reduction of the export of the oilbearing nuts and ‘ seeds used in the manufacture of margarine; and second, the whaling season in the Antarctic has been disappointing and less whale oil than was anticipated will be available for margarine. This shortage of margarine may also have an effect on the amount of butter Denmark will be able to export to Britain during the coming year. Normally the Danes produce large quantities of margarine, which they eat themselves in order to be able to export more butter. They also use the by-products for cattle feeding stuffs, of which Denmark is now in short ■ supply. Thus their butter production may not only be lower because of this shortage, but they may be obliged to use more butter themselves because of the lack of margarine.

The delaying of the increase in Britain’s fat ration will be a further disappointment to housewives. Throughout the rationing period the supply of fats has been barely sufficient; certainly, in the opinion of nutrition authorities, no more than is necessary. This has been emphasised recently. Although supplies of fish have greatly increased they would have been the more welcome had there been an adequate supply of cooking fat. Tong of fish have been destroyed.

Unlike New Zealanders, British housewives are unable to get adequate supplies of meat fats at the butchers’ shops, where it is as strictly rationed as meat.