GERMANY’S LOSS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21550, 1 November 1944, Page 3

GERMANY’S LOSS

VITAL FOOD & OIL LIBERATED STATES BIG STRAIN”ON REICH (Special Correspondent.) (10 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 31. Ten per cent of Germany’s food supply had been lost as a result ot the Allies' liberating of occupied territory, and, by September, Germany’s oil plants had been hit so hard that she was getting less than onequarter of the oil and petrol she obtained and used in April, states an official of the Ministry of Economic Warfare. Before D-day 5,000,900 Germans were living off other countries, while food for another 3,0uu,000 Germans was being brought from occupied countries. Until Y-riay also 39 per cent of Germany’s war bill was being met by oilier people's money, bin now three-quarters of those goods and services that the German war machine was getting irom other countries had been freed from Mazi exploitation. The loss of France and Belgium meant an important fail in coal, bauxite, iron ore and food. The official added that Germany s

war production, which has been tailing ever since the spring oi 1913, had been greatly accentuated by the effects oi the bombing. Oil Dominates Strategy

Rumania, he said, produced about one-third of Germany’s oil supplies vvnen the wells were fully worthing, or about 5,500,000 tons yearly. Germany's synthetic plants produced anotner one-third when they were free from bombing, and the occupied countries, including Austria, Hungary ■and Estonia, another one-third. Oil had been the dominating factor in German strategy for two or three years, dictating both the drive to the Caucasus and. in 1943, necessitating a limited push in Russia. She had conlmdully to safeguard her supplies, which was the reason for using a percentage of horse-drawn vehicles. The liiconomist, commenting on Germany’s food position, says .that there is no longer any additional foodstuffs available from Russia, the Balkan countries and western Europe, while the surpluses from western Poland, Czechoslovakia and Denmark have no appreciable ellect at a time when at feast 8,0UU,000 prisoners o. war and foreign workers have to be fed from German supplies. What has been harvested in Germany this autumn will have to last humans and livestock until the new harvest begins in 1945. farm Output Not Increased The Economist adds that cereals, root crops and vegetables wiil probably be maintained for tiie whole winter, but this will only be possible by sacrificing more of the pig population than was slaughtered last year. The nnik supply has also tended to fall. Germany throughout the war lias never been able to increase her overall agricultural output and, despite every effort, it is only possible to maintain pre-war cultivation. There is every reason to believe that this year s crops arc below tne average. Mass feeding is now being practised on a very big scale and the utmost economy in foodstuffs has been necessary throughout the war, but the overall situation suggests there will be nu sudden deterioration in rations if. as assumed, the fighting remains more or less static. Tne iirst stages of the agricultural plan for 1944-45 are now being carried out under extreme difficulties due to the military retreats and tiie reduction of the area to be sown and planted. No relief can be expected in the labour shortage. ueueraily speaking, there is litile possibility of ekeing out the rations by buying in the black market or by allotment gardening and any disruption of the present complicated system of control and zoning will at once affect the supplies and deliveries to the towns.