FOOD SHORTAGE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 1927, Page 9

FOOD SHORTAGE

LONDON THREATENED

DIFFICULTY iN DELIVERING . , ■ C'OAL ■ ,'■*••,'V ;

V : > ' ■ • ' , v ' POSITION REPORTED IAH’ROV- .. : ing. ' . „

HURRICANE GALE STILL BLOW- ' ING IN CHANNEL

(United Press Assn.^-CoSyright.) /, LONDON, Dec. 29. Even, London has been threatened with a shortage of fuel and iood supplies'. Coal merchants have been getting supplies of coal. satisfactorily by train, but'have "been .unable to deliver to householders owing to icebound streets. In Covent Garden supplies of vegetables are short, as these come only by road. Mulj., supplies have been considerably affected,.'but! are now being delivered near. 1 ly normally. I . . , , The Upper Medway river invaded Maidstone yesterday, and tramway and electric lighting services were suspended owing to> the generating station being flooded.. The position is now reported to bo Improving. The gale l in the English Channel is still blowing and for the fourth day in succession the steamer services from Dover were oitricellea. On the railways conditions have rapidly improved j and services on most lines are now . normal. _ " The latest weather forecast affords hope that milder conditions will relieve the plight of the inhabitants of the towns and villages which are still snowbound, and in many of which real hardship is being endured owing Eo> a shortage' oi fuel and iood supplies. Reports from all quarters tell ot men struggling for miles on foot or horseback across fields deep in snow to take food supplies to remote districts, and of gallant efforts made by doctors to reach patients in isolated places. . . , The work of clearing the roads of snowdrifts has been rendered even more difficult by severe frosts which have turned ‘the drifts into masses of ice.

CHANNEL CROSSING UNDER ; DTE.FICULT.IES

A large number of French people, held un' in England through the accident 'to the Channel steamer Eugndine, made a fresh start for Paris to-day by the' Newhaven-Dieppe route'. Others waited at Folkestone for th§> Maid of Orleans, which loft Roulogne for, Folkestone at midday with 836 passengers aboard, and was afterwards leaving for Boulogne again. It was hoped this morning that a French boat would bo available for passengers but at midday it was announced that there would be no Dover-Calais boat sailing to-day. The Newhaven-Dieppe and SouthamptonLe Havre services are normal. When the Cumml liner Aquitania arrived at Cherhurg last evening en route for New York her commander. Sir James Charles, decided that the high wind and heavy seas made it too hazardous to go into the harbor. The liner had to criuse round outside tjie hnrlior all night. She managed to enter at 9 o’clock this morning after being held up for over 12 hours.---British Official Wireless.

FOOD BY PLANE TO ISOLATED

VILLAGES

LONDON, Dec. 29

Delayed railway and motor traffic is holding up London’s supplies of milk and vegetables from farms. Two aeroplanes from London carried food to Westerham, Kent',.which has been isolated for four days by lift drifts, in which scores of vehicles have been completely lost. For the fourth day in succession the foreshore at Sandwich Bay is covered with millions of starfish and innumerable lobsters, due to the gale scouring the breeding ground. As they are thrown up the fish become frozen and they are fit for food.

LINER’S PASSENGERS WEA-THER-BOUND AT CHANNEL PORTS

Among the passengers on weatherbound vessels at Channel ports are the whole of the Oryieto’s overlanding- passengers.. There is still a risk of their missing the steamer. The owners - induced the _ Southern Railway to make a- special effort to get the passengers through .with tonight’s mail train to reach Toulon by Saturday. Paris received London newspapers for the first time since Saturday, but telephonic and telegraphic connection between London and Paris is much delayed since Monday, though the wireless is working excellently.—A. and N.Z.C.A..