FOOD DEFENCE PLANS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 18 April 1939, Page 5

FOOD DEFENCE PLANS

ALL READY IN BRITAIN STRICT REGULATION OF PRICES (Received 18th April, noon) LONDON, 17th April. Food defence plans are completed : and will be operable within ten days. The Food Ministry after the outbreak 1 of war will exclusively control all food i imported, besides being the sole pur- ? chaser of all home-produced food, thus : preventing profiteering. All prices 1 will be strictly regulated. Smithfield > and Billingsgate markets, in order to defeat bombings, will be decentralised. Fourteen hundred food committees, throughout the country are being in-! structed in such a manner that the despatch of telegrams will start the entire machine. Bacon, meat, condensed milk, butter, margaine. cooking fats and sugar will be rationed. The country can carry on for three months under the temporary food plan. Nineteen million householders’ forms and sixty million ration cards are ready, • but the Government’s permanent i scheme will replace this temporary scheme if the latter does not previous- ? ly come into operation. Ration cards - will then be eighty millions.

CANVAS BANNED

p DEVIL WEIGHING HEADS OF j DICTATORS . (Received 18th April, 11.30 a.m.) 1 LONDON, 17th April. 1 The Royal Society of British Artists - banned Otway McCannell’s canvas =. showing the devil weighing the heads s of Hitler and Mussolini on the Scales of Justice before a shocked audience. * including the Pope. Mr Chamberlain and President Roosevelt. The Society requested the withdrawal because “it j might be misunderstood in the present] state of European affairs.” -

INCIDENT IN CALCUTTA

INSULT TO ITALIAN FLAG ALLEGED (Received 18th April, 9.15 a.m.) I CALCUTTA, 17th April, j The Italian Consul-General has pro- j tested to the Government of Bengal ! against the insult to the Italian flag.' which was allegedly hauled down from the Consulate and cut up by an un-. known woman, who is stated to be Bri-I tish.

NEUTRALITY DECISION

i MR DE VALERA DENOUNCED “MOST COWARDLY.” SAYS VISCOUNT CRAIGAVON (Received 18lh April, 10.20 a.m.) | LONDON. 17th April, j The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Viscount Craigavon, denounced Mr de Valera’s neutrality decision as "most cowardly, especially in view of the extraordinary generosity of Britain 1 regarding the Anglo-Eire agreement. I repudiate most strongly the suggestion ■ that we join a country where such an attitude prevails. They can remain neutral but we know our duty and will amply fulfil it.” FOREIGN MINISTERS CONFER (Received 18th April, 10:20 a.m.) CRACOW, 17th April. Colonel Beck. Foreign Minister, hoarded the train in which Dr. Gafencu, Rumanian Foreign Minister, was going to Berlin, and had a two hours’ ' talk. The meeting was a surprise to Warsaw political circles.

MANOEUVRES OFF AUSTRALIA

TRADE DEFENCE EXERCISES N.Z. CRUISERS PARTICIPATING SYDNEY, 17th April. ; Australian and New Zealand warships and about 90 fighting aircralt are taking part in elaborate trade defence exercises off the Australian coast, starting yesterday and continuing till Wednesday. Important naval gunnery exercises will follow, and will be continued until 27th April. The cruisers Canberra, Hobart, and the destroyer Voyager left Melbourne last week to begin the trade defence exercises, and for several days will l theoretically be out of radio communi- I The New Zealand cruiser Leander. and the newly-conditioned H.M.A.S.' Adelaide left Jervis Bay to join the | main squadron to-day. Eight squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force will co-operate with I the Navy. In addition to the warj ships and aircraft, merchant ships off]

the coast will co-operate with the services. The exercise will be controlled from Laverton Station. The participating aircraft will indulge in reconnaissance, photographic, signalling, air-to-air gunnery. bombing and navy co-operation work. The exercises, it is thought, may be ( related to the growing opinion thaf , Australia should extend its aircraft defence units to Pacific islands such as Lord Howe. Norfolk. Fiji, the Phoenix Group, and other centres within striking distance of ships which may be rent by an enemy to harass merchant-

TURKEY AND GREECE

CO-OPERATION IN EVENT OF WAR • Received 18th April. 10.20 a m.) ATHENS. 17th April. Turkey and Greece are reported to have planned co-operation in the event of war.

SPANISH MOROCCO

CONCENTRATION OF TROOPS (Received 18th April. 9 0 a.m.) • LONDON. 17th April. The Tangier correspondent of the British United Press reports that about 12,000 Spanish troops have been transported from the mainland to Spanish Morocco during the past 48 hours. All I are concentrated near the Tangier in- j ton-national zone. Spanish newspapers in Tangier report that 90.000 soldiers are now ■ stationed in Spanish Morocco, compared with 38.000 before the civil war.