MEAT “BLACK SPOT” IN BRITAIN’S IMPROVING FOOD OUTLOOK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22888, 7 March 1949, Page 5

MEAT “BLACK SPOT” IN BRITAIN’S IMPROVING FOOD OUTLOOK

(10 a.m.) LONDON, Mar. 6. Tile Minister of Pood, Mr. J. Strachey, announced that Britain would import 40,000 tons of dried fruits from America under Marshall Aid at a cost of about 6,000,000 dollars. The fruit would consist of prunes and seedless raisins in about equal proportions.

These are the first supplies of dried fruits Britain has been able to buy from the United States since August, 1947 when, owing to lack of dollars, she stopped buying food from America. Mr. Strachey said that additional dried fruit, would raise Britain’s total distribution of dried fruit to about 20 per cent more than In 1948. It would be greater than the amount distributed before the war but would not fully satisfy the demands. Britain would also import an extra 5000 short tons of frozen eggs from the United States at a cost of approximately 2,000,000 dollars. Mr. Strachey said the amount of food available to each person in Britain represented 2990 calories daily against 8000 calories before the war. It did not seem like it because the food was distributed differently and was much plainer. The people were getting half as much milk again as before the war, more bread, jam, ilsh and potatoes but less sugar, meat and fat.

“The Government does not deny that the food subsidies are expensive,” he said. “They are costing £470,000,000 and there is a limit to the amount the Chancellor can be expected to libel. “I agree that if the subsidies were abolished income tax, the supertax and death, duties would come down. Although, no doubt, there will be set-

backs, the overall food situation will continue to improve. Meat is the black spot. The ration is governed not only by ability to pay but by the fact there simply are not the additional quantities in the world.”

Prospects for the coming year were good, but he could not make any promises. said the Minister of Food. Mr. J. Strachey, addressing a Manchester meeting yesterday. lie said: “I believe tiiat slowly but surely things will get better. We have had to face some heartbreaking setbacks during the past three years, but I don’t believe we will have any very bad ones this .year," lie said that Britain could expect a modest, contribution, to her food supplies in tlie second half of 1949 from the peanuts scheme in East Africa and pig feeding stuff being grown in Queensland. Britain would not follow the example of France and Belgium and abolish food rationing.