PROSPECT WORSE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21962, 5 March 1946, Page 3

PROSPECT WORSE

WHEAT SHORTAGE MINISTER'S TRIP TO U.S. LONDON, March 3. The departure for Washington of the Minister of Food, Sir Ben Smith who intended to fly to Washington during the week-end to discuss allocation oi world wheat supplies with the Combined Food Board, was delayed by bad weather. The Minister, on behalf of the British Government, will strongly support the claim for special consideration which will be addressed to the board by the Indian delegates. The Press Association says that the Indian famine developments in the past 24 hours made his mission even more important It is now probable that the gap between the world wheat upply and the demand will be 50 per cent greater than the 5,000,000 tons previously estimated.

The Indian Government has given an austerity lead in the food crisis by ordering the famous Delhi lawns to be ploughed up and vegetables sown, says the Daily Mail’s New Delhi correspondent.

The Viceroy Lord Wavell, is ordering the ploughing of part of the viceregal estates. British troops from March 10 have been forbidden to send food parcels to Britain. The failure of the rains has increased fear of famine. Three million tons oi wheat, peas and Bariev were scorched on the northwestern plains during February. The Government secretary of food stated that India needs 6,000,000 tons more grain than the country is likely to produce. The lull effect of the food shortage will no.t be felt until May but the distress is already in evidence in some districts in the Bombay province, Mysore and Madras.