CRISIS AVERTED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22200, 10 December 1946, Page 5

CRISIS AVERTED

FOOD FOR RUHR GRIM WINTER BATTLE BID TO SECURE SUPPLIES (Special Correspondent.) (9 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 9. A general improvement is reported in the Ruhr food position and, although a number of difficulties have still to be overcome, the British authorities are now reasonably confident that the threat of a serious breakdown during the winter can be averted. The improvement is partly due to *‘lend-lease’’ supplies from the American zone, to the release of food supplies by the Russians, and to the satisfactory collection of the local grain harvest. Larger Local Harvest The local target for December is 52,000 tons and already 56,000 tons has been brought in. Stocks in store or in transit from abroad and in circulation bring the total grain supply for the province to 177,000 tons, which leaves a margin over the estimated consumption between now and Christmas. Supplies of butter and margarine are sufficient to maintain the present fats ration, and there is actually a surplus of sugar. It is intended in cases of necessity to increase the sugar ration to compensate for temporary local shortages in the bread supply. Steps are to be taken to control the black market traffic in vegetables, and increased supplies are being obtained from Holland. Nevertheless, supplies of vegetables are still short and during the winter will consist mainly of turnips. The milk supply presents one of the really serious difficulties. The present ration for children up to 10 years can be maintained, but owing to the shortage of green fodder farmers are compelled to slaughter many of their beasts, and there will be considerably less milk available for adult consumers during the winter. The ration has already been cut from one-fifth to one-eighth of a litre a day. Cereals and Potatoes Wanted The biggest material shortage is in cereals and potatoes. The present deficiency in the former is estimated at 80,000 tons and in the latter 140,000 tons. These can only be partially made goods by promised imports from Holland. Denmark and Russia. Last winter potatoes were used to fill the gap in the bread supply, but this is impossible during the present winter. UNRRA and German Army stocks in the Ruhr are now exhausted and the population of the province has increased by nearly 400,000 refugees during the past four months. Thes facts emphasise that, although a breakdown has been averted, there can be no slackening in efforts to build up supplies both by imports and from indigenous sources.