FEEDING THE TROOPS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 267, 9 October 1940, Page 8

FEEDING THE TROOPS

OVER £400,000 EXPENDED. j COMMODITIES PURCHASED. j Per Press Association. , WELLINGTON, Oct. 8, | An important part of tlie activities of the Ministry of Supply is to assist the . Navy, Army and Air Force Departments with the provision of food for the armed services, stated the Minister of Supply (Hon. D. G. Sullivan.) j in an interview to-day. It was of spe-; cial interest, he said, to note that over; £400,000 had been expended on these , food purchases from September 1, 1930, i to Juno 30, 1940. In that period the value of meat alone was £100,663. with an addition of £25,185 for canned meats and £14,875 for bacon and ham. j The value of dairy produce, includ- j ing butter, cheese, eggs, etc., purcha6- : ed totalled £69,262 and the importance of fruit and vegetables had not been overlooked, the purchase of fresh fruit in this period, costing £53,396 while • purchases of dried fruit amounted to £BIO7. with the addition of canned fruit and vegetables to the value of, £5821. Jams cost £17,086, beverages' (tea, coffee and cocoa) £21,810, cereals 1 £11,227, canned fish £6717, and bread,! cakes and pastry £21,519. ! These figures, aaid Mr Sullivan; covering a period of ten months, showed the magnitude of the operations of the purchasing section and now that the Dominion’s war effort was fully into its 6tride the purchasing operations were on a greater scale than ever. j After outlining the methods adopted in the purchase of food, Mr Sullivan said that with the co-operation of the Health Department and the Agriculture Department an efficient system for the inspection of foodstuffs had been inaugurated and the purchasing officers being constantly in touen with the markets were in a position to buy at the most economic prices. The greatest care said the Minister, was taken in the ’spending of public money from the point of economy and quality of the goods received by the armed services.