FOOD FRONT

Grey River Argus, 14 February 1946, Page 5

FOOD FRONT

Aussie Rations BEING USED FOR BRITAIN (Rec. 11.5.) ADELAIDE, Feb. 13. Because of what the Lord Mayor, Mr. Walker, described as “antagonistic influences from outside the State,” a conspicuously successful appeal for food for Britain has officially closed in South Australia. State authorities are complaining bitterly over a sequence of events concerning 230,000 ration coupons that were voluntarily surrendered so that the fund could buy butter, sugar and meat as gifts for the people in Britain. The Federal Minister of Post-war Reconstruction, Hon. Mi’. Dedman, visited the State in December, and, while he commended the scheme, he recommended that the best way to help Britain was to destroy coupons. Following the visit, the fund was denied permits to buy food. State officials took the matter up with Hon. Mr. Chifley, Prime 'Minister, who stated that Mr. Dedman was arranging for any coupons surrendered before a certain date to be used to purchase food for Britain. What that date is, is not yet known. Meanwhile, Mr. Chifley has told the New South Wales Premier, Mr. McKeil, that there is no way under tlie law by which an appeal for gifts of food for Britain can be exempted from income tax. SYDNEY, February 13. Australia will increase her meat shipments to Britain this year from 200,000 tons to 300,000 tons as part of 1,000,000 tons of foodstuffs to relieve Britain’s desperate food shortage. The main increase in other food exports will be: Wheat from 31,000,000 to 55,000,000 bushels; dried fruits, 23,000 to 45,000 tons, canned fruits, 500,000 to 1,000,000 cases; eggs 12,000,000 to 30,000,000 dozen. About 20,000,000 pounds weight of egg pulp and 1,400,000 pounds of egg powder will also be sent. Australia has 1,000,000 pounds in value of processed vegetables ready for immediate shipment. Efforts are being made to ship 35,000,000 bushels of wheat before June. The produce will be cleared as rapidly as shipping becomes available as the outcome of a “short haul” policy to ensure the maximum use of refrigerated shipping space. ENGLISH WOMEN DENOUNCE RATION CUTS (Rec. 6.30) LONDON, Feb. 13 Four thousand angry housewives at three Merseyside meetings demanded that the Food Minister should stop the luxury banquets and investigate the restaurant meals and also increase the rations and cut supplies of food from Britain for Europe. Feelings were heightened when members of the services told the meetings that there was food enough and to spare in France, Belgium, Holland’ and even Germany. AUSTRALIAN MEAT SOME REFUSED BY BRITAIN (Rec. 9.30) BRISBANE, Feb. 13 Australia is prepared to ship all types of canned meat required by Britain, according to the Minister of Commerce, Hon. Mr. Scully. He said that, in recent months, Australia could have sent considerably more food to Britain, but the British auth‘orities had’ refused some of the available meat products.