BRITAIN.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 260, 19 October 1916, Page 5

BRITAIN.

FOOD SUPPLIES. DISCUSSED* IN THE COMMONS. [AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSN.} London, Oct. 18. In the House of Commons, Mr. G. N. Barnes (Labour member for Blackfriars. Glasgow) raised the question of food prices. He said the time was come for the appoint ment of a Food Minister. It might be necessary to have food tickets. A Food Commission should have power to fix prices. The high prices of bacon and milk were a publii danger and were due to manipulation and waste. The farmers had sometimes given milk to pigs or thrown it into the drains in order t j maintain prices.The Rt. Hon. George Lambert (Labour member for South Devon) said that they were threatened with a serious shortage of home-grown supplies in the coming year owing t. the withdrawal of 30 per cent, of labour.

Mr. W. Runciman (President of the Board of Trade) said that the Government was prepared to take any steps to prevent the exploitation of food. He pointed out that the raised prices were partly, due to munition and other well-paid workers demanding the best cuts of meat and the best of other food. The consuming capacity of the people was very largely increased. The trawlers were trawling mines instead of fish. Eggs were formerly imported from Russia. The cutting off of supplies had raised prices. He was making arrangements with the War Office to provide farmers with sufficient milkers. He would take steps to make it a criminal offence wilfully to destroy milk. The Government had taken steps to keep down the price of meat, and had made arrangements to get more supplies for the retail trade than ever before. The Government’s purchases already amounted to £60,000. COO. We were supplying the Italian and French armies in addition to the British. We had eli-

minated the middleman’s profits and strictly limited the merchant’s’ profits. They had taken steps to keep up the necessary’ margin of wheat.

Sir Edward Carson interjected: Has there been any exploitation in wheat I

i Mr. Runciman said there was ab- : solutc-Iy no evidence of it. By ar- | rangeinent with Australia they had ’ a very large amount of wheat m . hand and were prepared to extend operations. The best way' to ensure | the quickest despatch was to pay for wheat carriilfee on the basis of ; the voy’agc, the charter giving an incentive to all concerned to run ' vessels quickly. Out of a total freight of 10,000 vessels only 1100 ocean-goers were free to conduct their own operations. The Admiralty had agreed with many directors to utilise fewer vessels, but the great bulk of the mercantile marine was under its control. Only a small fraction of the merchant marine was running at free rates, only 60 ol ; which were bringing foodstuffs. Tnese facts ought to be known in view of the hubbub outside. Freights had very little to do with the increased cost of food. As an example Canadian cheese was 4d or 5d higher while freights were only (d higher. The real cause was tHe shortage of shipping. The Government was doing its best to assist the construction of new vessels with [the utmost possible rapidity. We i had lost in the war period as the ! result of enemy action and ordinary ‘ marine risks 2,000,000 gross tonnage, or more than the entire mercantile marines of France, Spain or Italy before the war. The Allies’ losses were also heavy. He believed that the Government had dealt with these problems on the right lines. We must avoid putting ourselves in the position of a blockaded people. Bread tickets and meat cards and all artificial arrangements were harmful to those least able to bear them. Our meat transactions meant an enormous amount of insulated tonnage. The present amount from the River Plate was 450,000 tons a year. The Australian was still greater.

The Government had to readjust prices with the Australian Government owing to the increased working costs, but there was no increase to the shipowners since the war. They must continue the same rate until the war was over. POST-WAR TRADE. DOMINIONS TO BE CONSULTED (AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CAB’-E ASSN. 1 London, Oct. 18. In the House of Commons, in reply' to a question, Mr. Asquith said it would be difficult to get representatives of the dominions over here to confer as to the methods of putting the decisions of the Paris Economic Conference into practical operation at an early' date ; but no decision would be reached without consulting the dominions. HIDES COMMANDEERED FOR ARMY. [AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSN.] London, Oct. 18. Official.—Except hides now being converted into leather, the Army Council will take over all hides imported from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or South America ; also all other imported hides of the following descriptions:—Resalted 451bs and over, dry salted 25 lbs and over, dry 181bs and over.

RELIEF FUNDS. EFFORTS TO HELP POLAND FAIL. (Received 19, 9.25 a.m.) New York, Oct. 18. President XX’ilson states that efforts to aid Poland have failed, the Powers not agreeing to tile terms whereunder relief can be sent. President Wilson addressed the belligerents, suggesting fresh negotiations. BELGIUM’S STARVING CHILDREN THE POPE’S GENEROSITY. (Received 19, 9.25 a.m.) New York, Oct. 18. Norge Baker, a New York resident, obtained an. audience -with the Pope and explained the desperate condition of a million and a-half children in Belgian territory occupied by Germany. ' 4 s the result, the Pope has appealed to the children of happy, prosperous America to aid the unhappy children of Belgium. IMPERIAL PRECAUTIONS. ADVICE TO CONTRIBUTORS. XX’ellington, Oct. 17. The Governor has received the following telegram from the Secretary of State for the Colonies — “It is desirable that it should be laid down that general subscriptions, collections or remittances for relief societies operating in enemy-occupied territory should not bo encouraged. This does not apply to the National Committee of Relief in Belgium, which stands on a special footing) but does apply to Polish relief, and therefore excludes the X T evy Committee. Subscriptions made with a view to Polish relief should be used only for the relief of Poles in Russia, ana should be sent through His Majesty’s Ambassador at Petrograd, or, if preferred, through the Polish War X’ictims Relief Centre in London.

“ Remittances to individuals in enemy occupied territory not being of enemy nationality may be made, provided certain conditions laid down, which are briefly as follows, are fulfilled : —Firstly, the same individual not to receive from all sources more than £25 per month; secondly, all remittances to be made through a bank in the United Kingdom, which can be supervised by His Majesty’s Government.” LOCOMOTIVES FOR RUSSIA. [AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSN.] (Received 19, 10.20 a.m.) Paris, Oct. 18. “Le Matin” states that the Belgians have shipped to Russia eighty large locomotives which were taken tj France when the Germans were invading Belgium in 1914. IRELAND’S DEFAULT. NATIONALISTS NOT HELPING RECRUITING. [AUBTBALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSN.] (Received 19, 11.10 a.m.) Londoh, Oct, 18. The “Times” correspondent at Dublin says the Nationalists are clearly and deliberately abstaining from encouraging recruiting. “Freeman’s Journal,” which Mr. Redmond is supposed to control, has not printed the latter’s appeal for reinforcements for Irish Divisions, illustrating the unprecedented confusion in the affairs of Ireland.

[ Writing from London under date August 25th. a well-known Hastings resident said : ‘Recruiting in Ireland is at a very low ebb. I cannot vouch for it, but I was told that in Dublin last week there w-ere only twenty recruits.]