BROW’S FOOD

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 June 1946, Page 5

BROW’S FOOD

Has. Sacrifice. Been Too Great? . I SEARCHING QUESTIONS z » (Recd. 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, May 31. Mr; Churchill opened the food debate in the House of Commons with a conciliatory overture to Mr. Herbert Morrison. Mr. Churchill assured Mr. Morrison that he was not going to berate him about the slip in the announcement of the results of the mission to America. “I think myself that Mr. Morrison was somewhat misled by the statement made in the United States,” Mr. Churchill said. He hoped Mr. Morrison was not going to lecture the House on bringing party feelings into discussions on large public issues. The really important point before the House was:—“What have we got fo; our 200,000 tons of wheat?” Everyone knew that theconsequences of giving these 200,-> 000 tons were likely to be very serious. He was assured that very grave consequences would follow. Mr Churchill asked what advantages Britain was going to get from the heavy sacrifice? Another important point was the resignation of Sir Ben Smith as Food Minister. All the peacetime precedents required a Minister to make a statement when he retired. “I am surprised that he does not wish to defend himself and toe Ministry which has been so much under fire, ’ Mr. Churchill said. Sir Ben’s flight was ignominious and unbecoming. What is this strange power that strikes a retiring Minister dumb?”.

The development of the Indian food situation, Mr. Churchill said, showed an extraordinary lack of foresight on the part of the Administration. The conditions in the British zone in Germany -should have been foreseen. “The Government throughout has been guilty of lack of foresight so far as wheat is concerned;” Mr. Churchill concluded. “This is a failure of planned distribution.” More Peaceful Than Expected Mr. Morrison, replying to Mr. Churchill, said that the debate appeared to be more peaceful than he expected. “I was looking forward to things being a little bit the other way,” he said, Mr. Churchill had, needlessly, rather persistently brought politics into this matter, Mr. Morrison said. He had not given away 200,000 tons of wheat: “You cannot give away what you have not got,” he added. Mr. Attlee had authorised him to say that Sir Ben Smith had not left the Government on a disagreement. He was not forced out.. There was no disagreement on policy. There was no precedent for an explanation to the House.

The present food emergency was foreseen general way by the Hot Springs conference three years ago. Even with an intensive effort Britain was growing only about half her own food. Therefore she was the most vulnerable country in the world in a famine. It was no use talking as though the British Government was a world government able to purchase and produce enough food to feed the United Kingdom and other countries. Reminder of Dunkirk. “In this food business, there is nothing in the experience of this Government which reminded the Prime Minister, myself and others more of the time when we sat in Mr. Churchill’s Cabinet in the Dunkirk days, when all the news was bad,” he added. “On the ground of self-interest, political, economical and military, it is inevitable that Britain must seek to keep the occupied area in Germany with the minimum of food necessary to sustain life. “When I went to America,” Mr. Morrison said, “the stocks in Germany were so low that by to-day there would not have been a ton of bread grain in the British zone. As a result of the Washington talks, this threat to British prestige and the security of British occupation was averted. The quantity of grain recommended for the British zone in Germany from May to September is 675,000 tons. Since the Washington discussions America has found it possible to make available appreciable quantities of wheat and coarse grain for India and for the British zone in Germany for early shipment. “I don’t think that these are insignificant advantages for the sacrifice of 200,000 tons of wheat. The quantity of wheat and coarse grain recommended for India from May to September is 1,165,000 tons, exclusive of the allocation of rice by the Combined Food Board. Despite the world crisis, India’s lost rice imports have been more than made up by the wheat supplies.” Mr. Morrison said it was impossible for Britain alone to shoulder the responsibility of feeding the 20,000,000 persons in the British zone of Germany and

400,000,000 hungry Indians. Britain since last autumn had diverted to Germany 4,905,000 tons of cereals and to India 104,000 tons.

Asking for the support of the House for the new Food Minister, Mr. John Strachey Mr. Morrison said he was going, to have a difficult and tricky job and would have plenty of trouble. 3 Mr R. A. Hudson, a former Minister of Agriculture, challenged Mr. Morrison’s statement tnat a woi-fl-wide framework had been created for the fight against famine.

“Is it world-wide? Has he got Russia in?” he asked. “The main dfficulty in Europe is the iron curtain. There is reasonably (adequate food for all the Pe°P e in the countryside west of the iron curtain. The real reason for shortage in the towns is that the grain-producing areas east of the iron curtain are shut off.

One of the main reasons for the famine conditions was the accep.ance of supply through a single channel.Buying through a single agency meant a loss of all the advantages obtained when there were many people with their fingers on the pulse of the world markets.. Warning Given. Mr. Hudson warned that Britain would be without bread if any interruption occurred before September “You cannot feed tne people on victory parades or dreams while aueues grow longer. Shortages aie increasing and the real cost of living IS Mr. a Churchilf who followed, said th nt Mr. Morrison’s information naa been vague and muddled. He addeu (hat he had intended moving a token amendment to show that his par ' y disapproved of the Governments noW but the declarations on ratiinffig persuaded him not to give a vote which might be taken as opposing rationing without due considerati°Commoners cheered when Mr. Churchill announced that he would not move the amendment.