Food Commissioner’s Tour Of Northland

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1944, Page 4

Food Commissioner’s Tour Of Northland

Arrangements for the entertainment of Mr. W. Bankes Amery, head of the British Food Commission, while in Whangarei cn Friday have been completed. Mr. Amery is at Auckland today and will go to Dargaville tomorrow, staying there the night before leaving on Thursday morning for Kaikohe via the Waipoua Forest and Opononi. He will spend Thursday night at Kaikohe and will arrive in Whangarei on Friday morning. Representatives of.,primary industry and organisations associated with production will meet Mr. Amery at a civic luncheon at which they will be the guests of the Whangarei Borough Council and afterwards a meeting will be held ki the Whangarei County Council Chambers. A wish to meet representatives of women’s organisations has been expressed by Mr. Amery, who is being accompanied on his tour by Mrs. Amery, and a meeting is being arranged for Friday night in the Y.W.C.A. Hall.

British Food Front Interviewed yesterday Mr Amery emphasised that he had not visited New Zealand with tlie object of telling producers what they should do. He had come to tell New Zealanders first-hand of the conditions under which the people of Britain were living, so that they would have an appreciation of what great effects anv increase in exports might have. New Zealand was not the only country whose exports of meat and dairy produce had dropped substantially. Australian butter exports had dropped from the record level of 10.9,000 tons in 1939-40 to only 49,000 tons in 1942-43. Cheese and meat exports also had declined seriously. Quite apart from its health value, food had a definite psychological effect. Coupled with the strain of black-out, constant danger and exceedingly long hours, heavy workers in Britain, such as munitions employees, were inclined to become disheartened if they could not obtain a square meal. Any food shortage also had a marked effect on the morale of young people with healthy appetites. “Things which are commonplace in New Zealand have not been seen in Britain for over four years,” said Mr Amery. "It is surprising how the little luxuries are missed. Imagine not having seen a lemon, banana, peach, apricot or pineapple for four years.

Future cf Agriculture The shipping position was so favourable that Britain could lift every pound of butter, cheese and meat which New' Zealand could produce, continued Mr Amery. There might be temporary difficulties at the peak of the season, but arrangements had been made to overcome any overcrowding of cool stores. Mr Amery w'as emphatic that New' Zealand producers had nothing to fear in post-war trading through Britain’s increased agricultural programme during the war. This increase had not been in produce which would affect New Zealand. Butter and cheese production in Britain had declined as the need had been for concentrated milk. Even then the people received only twm pints of milk a week, with a summer peak reaching up to four pints weekly. Expectant mothers were allowed up to 11 pints a w'eek, babies under 12 months, 14 pints, and children from one to five years seven pints. This could not be called extravagant feeding. It might be news to some that before the war Britain produced more meat than Australia, the total reaching well over 1.0C0.000 tons annually. This had not been maintained, however, as cattle, sheep and pigs had been considerably reduced in numbers cn account of the severe decline in imports of feeding stuff's. "Britain cannot maintain the home front in fighting trim if there is any further reduction in the basic ration of 1/2 worth of meat, 2oz. of butter and 3oz. of cheese a week,” concluded Mr Amery. Mr Amery will leave tomorrow for Dargaville, and will visit Kaikohe on Thursday and Whangarei on Friday, returning to Auckland on Saturday.