Deny Reports Of Plenty Of Food For Belgians

Northern Advocate, 3 October 1944, Page 2

Deny Reports Of Plenty Of Food For Belgians

(PA.) WELLINGTON. This Day The Consulate-General of Belgium In New Zealand makes the following official declaration: “The New Zealand Press published recently certain statements emanating from certain journalists, conspicuously among whom figures the American. H. R. Knickerbocker, who was at the time correspondent in Brussels of the ‘Chicago Sun,’ to the effect that ‘the French and Belgian as a whole were eating more aid better food than the British, when the Allies invaded Europe.’ “Knickerbocker added- to this false report the cruel and insulting query ’where a ,- e ,h.-> shabby and down-trodden victims of the Germans?’ The Gelgian Government’s reply is ns follows. ’The food situation is stiff difficult in liberated Belgium (September 29. 1944). There had been no distribution of meat for four weeks. The population obeyed the 8.8. C. injunction to'accumulate food stocks before the Allies arrived, but in the excitement of liberation pressed these on the liberating troops, giving a deceptive impression of r.k-ntv. • “The posirion is critical in the cities and industrial areas, but less serious in the country districts. The Brussels newspaper ‘Soir’ writes: ‘Our Allied friends should not judge the food situation by meals served to some of their officers in choice restaurants, which doubtless have seme provisions left from the defunct black market. The population generally are having to tighten their belts as they hae had to do throughout the war. Today, for most neople, the food supply is obviously deficient and all doctors are warning us of the danger.’ ”