U.S. MEAT SHORTAGE

Grey River Argus, 20 March 1945, Page 5

U.S. MEAT SHORTAGE

LESS EXPORTS TO BRITAIN WASHINGTON, March 18 The U.S. Government has announced a 12 per cent, cut in, l meat supplies for American civilians beginning on April 1. The allotment for the April—June quarter will be 115 lbs., per head compared with 130 lbs., for the present quarter. Lend-lease shipments of meat will be substantially reduced. Britain will be receiving 25,000,000 lbs., next quarter, or 121 per cent, of the present shipments. It is considered that the British reserves are large enough to sustain the country without great American assistance. LONDON, March 18 The Press Association stated: The American meat cut is almost certain to result in a reduction of the weekly meat ration in Britain from pence to Is., at an early date because the months concerned are those m which home-killed beef is in small supply. A further cut to 11 pence, perhaps 10 pence may be necessarylater on. Lord Woolton once quoted a Government colleague as warning him that it only required the meat ration toi fall below Is for Britain to have lost the war. Our Food Ministers always regarded the meat .ration of Is as the limit of nutritional Sa yt t ls reported that large quantities of meat from British reserves have been sent to liberated Europe in reply to an appeal by Genet al Lisen (Rec. 1 ’ 10.50). LONDON March 19 A political correspondent in tne Daily Mail said: Food supply problems are causing the Gov® 1 ’ 112 ? 10 "!; much concern. Mr Churchill has bee in close touch with Mr Roosevelt with the object of obtaining an agreed policy, which, while satisfying the needs of liberated Europe, will not bear unduly hard upon either Britain or the United States. Mr Attlee is to submit a report concerning his findings on the situation in France, Belgium and Holland. The situation m Holland is really desperate. When Germans have withdrawn from the parts they still occupy, ther e will be need for speedy, • efficient action to feed suffering people. It is believed Mr Churchill frankly told Mr Roosevelt that he must now look after the people of Britain, and that he cannot allow them to make further sacrifices of food for Europe, unless it is absolutely necessary. 'lt is pointed out in London tnatBritain has not been hoardingg Anierican meat, but that the supplies sent to the Continent came from the reserves that have been built up to meet-a possibility of invasion, which have now been depleted. At the same .• time there will be a reduction of supplies from the Argentine, where there has been a drought.

CANADA’S MEAT SURPLUS. (Rec 10.30). OTTAWA, March 19. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Doctor Barton, said Canada expected to increase her beef commitment to Britain.