EXPLOITATION OF FOOD.

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 239, 19 October 1916, Page 5

EXPLOITATION OF FOOD.

GOVERNM ENT PREVENTIVE

MEASURES

THE PRICE OF MEAT.

Australian and N.Z; Cable Associatioa

(Received Oct. 18, 7.10 p.m.) ■ ■ / ' LONDON, Oct. 18. In the House of Commons Mr Runciman said that the Government was prepared to take any steps to iwevont 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 ot other food. The consuming capacity of the people"had very largely increased. Trawlers were trawling for mines instead of fis!h."' Eggs were formerly imported frorji Russia. 'Hie. cutting off of supplies _ raised the pa/ieefO Ho was leaking arrangements .with, the War' Office to provide farmers .with sufficient milkers. Ho •would take st^ps to make it a criminal offence wilfully to destroy milk. The Government h.id taken steps to keep' down the price of meat and' had made arrangements to get more "supplies fo£ the retail trade than ever before The Government's purchases nlrea'ily amounted to £60,000,000. We were supplying the Italian and French armies in addition' r<~> the British. The Government had cliNninated the middleman's 'profit sivd had strictly limited the merchant's ■pi'pfiti. It had taken steps to-keep up the necessary margin-of .-wheat.. Sir Edward. .Carson interjected: Has there been any exploitation of wheat? . • '■'-':.

Mr^ Runciniatt: There is absolutely no evidence thereof. B}^ the'"1 avrailgohieiit with Australia he had a vtiiy largo amount of wheat in hand, "a.nd was .prepared to extend operations. The best way in which to ensure ths quickest despatch was to p-ny for wheat carriage on the bavsis of a' voyage charter, giving an incentive to all concerned to run the vessels quickly. ,Out of a total freight of 10,000 vessels only 1100 ocean-goers were free to conduct their own operations. ■ The Admiralty agreed to many directors utilising fewer vessels. * The great bulk of tho mercantile marine was under control. Only a small fraction w.ii:- running at free, rates. Sixty of the latter were bringing foodstuffs at" Blue Book rafes or fixed -rates. These facts ought to be known in view of the hubbub outside. Freights had very little to do with the increased co?t of food. For example: Canadian cheese was 4d to 5d higher, and freights were only £d higher; The real cau.'e was the shortage of shipping;. The Government was doing its best to assist by theconstriictkm. of new vessels with tlhe.-u.t----l most possible rapidity. We had lost ! during the war r>oriod, as a result of enemy action or ordinary marine | risks, 2,000,000 gross "tonnage, more than the entire mercantile marine of France; Spain, or> Italy before "the war. Our Allies' losses were also : heavy. He believed that the>,jGov- | ernment had dealt with these* problems on right lines. We .must avoid putting ourselves in tho position of a blockaded people. Bread .tickets and meat cards and all artificial arrangements were harmful to those ; least-able' to bear them. ■

Mr Runciman, continuing, said that tho meat transactions meant an enormous amount of insulated tonnage. Tiie present amount of River Plate was 450.0C0 tons. The Australian was still greater.- , The Government had to readjust prices with the' Australian Govornhiont, owing to thei increased working costs, ;but no increase to shipowners bad been made since the war started. -They must continue at the same, rate until the war was over. \