FOOD CRISIS

Grey River Argus, 15 February 1946, Page 5

FOOD CRISIS

U.N.O. ANXIETY Mr Bevin’s Warning FIVE MILLION TONS WHEAT SHORTAGE ’ LONDON, Feb. 13 The Big Five resolution in favour of more food production, also cooperation in supply and information, was debated in U.N.O. Assembly. Mr. E. Bevin (Britain) said: “In November, 1945, when the Food and Agricultural Organisation held its first meeting at Quebec, papers were presented showing there was likely to be a world shortage of cereals. Latest- figures show a worse - position than was anticipated. “I don’t exaggerate when I say the food’ position is really alarming. In the first six months of 1946, the flour which the importing countries need to import from overseas will amount to more than 17,000,000 tons, and'the supply, which can oe expected from all countries against this requirement will be about 12,000,000 tons, leaving a deficit of 5,000,0U0 tons. There was the failure of South African crops. He said that the deficiency might even be greater than the 5,000,000 tons already mentioned. The deficiency in rice could not be . less than. 2,000,000 tons, and the rice position may mean that within the next few months 1,000,000,000 of the world's population will face a famine. The figure of 1,500 calories daily for the diet of Europeans was only the average. Many millions were below the average. “It is impossible to know or understand' the number who are hungry. In addition there is the Far East, where the figure must be terrifically large. We must see that every pound, every ounce of food, is properly used and not wastel. Civilisation itself depends on a resolute solution of the food problem. Mr. Bevin added: “I regard the resolution before the Assembly as a call to the nations in the greatest common cause that has ever faced us.”- The greatest attention should -be paid to growing food in order to tide over the next winter. “Nature has intervened, as if she had imposed on us a penalty for our stupidity in fighting.” Mr Bevin said he wanted to make it clear’ he was only referring to supplies which could be moved across the seas. These did not include supplies which neighbouring countries might obtain overland. There would be a good deal of exchange overland between one country and another, but when that was done, there still was a traffic deficit in the total supplies. Mr Bevin added that in the seventeen million tons mentioned, the U.N.R.R.A. requirements were included for countries supplied by U.N.R.R.A. Therefore, the twelve million tons that was to be supplied included the whole amount which exporting countries in both hemispheres expected to be able to ship. He said: “We shall have later more precise figures, and these soon; but the fact remains that the whole continent of India comes into the picture—the monsoon has failed.” Mr Bevin referred to Mr Fraser’s recent statement that the food position was now worse than originally. M. Bidault explained that France before the war produced her own requirements of wheat, but in 1945 produced only half the normal crop. M. Bidault summed up France’s situation. He said: “The French Government has no assurance that it will be able to meet France’s requirements, which already have been pitilessly reduced, bringing the French within the category of the 'very hungry people'.” Mr Stettinius outlined the steps the United States was taking to conserve grains and prevent “as far as possible the calamity threatening so many parts of the world.” He added that starvation bred unrest and the effects lingered on long after the causes were removed. Mr Stettinius appealed for unanimous approval of the resolution, and also for whole-hearted application of the principles. Dr. Wellington Koo outlined the position in China, here the shortage of food had been acute during the eight years of war. The immediate prospect was further cuts. The Assembly adjourned. It will continue the food debate at 3 mm. tomorrow. An Indian food mission has arrived in London and has opened preliminary discussions with the Ministries of Food and War Transport. Housewives queued up to hear speakers at Ilford Hall At a mass meeting held in protest against the food situation. Those who failed' to get in stood in the rain and listened to the speeches through a relay system. Three hundred women from several London boroughs heard speaker after speaker condemn the Minister of Food’s policy as “a disgraceful rank injustice.”