Britain’s Food

Northland Age, Volume 3, Issue 15, 12 January 1934, Page 5

Britain’s Food

The Policy of Restricting Imports Mr. Walter Elliott, British Minister of Agriculture, speaking in the House of Commons, discussed the results of his policy of forcing up the prices of bacon and other foods by restricting imports. Those who called for more land settlement and greater production of food in this country, he said, must make up their minds in which way they wanted to go. Food production in this country was greater than some people seemed to think. Roughly speaking, food was produced for 20,000,000 of our population, and 1,000,000 people produced that supply. If 500,000 more people were to produce food there would be food production in this country for 30,000,000. That would mean that the import trade of the country with foreign countries and with the Empire would have to be conducted on the basis of supplying food for 10,000,000 people. The settlement of any large number of persons on the land could not involve anything but a great reduction in the importation of food into this country. It was impossible to expect any very great increase in the gross weight of food consumed here. The possibilities of food production in this country were very great indeed. It was not that we could not afford it, but every big scheme of land settlement meant a drastic reduction of the importation of food, and there was no escape from that. Regulation of Imports They could not have it both ways. At the present levels of world prices, food production in this country could not be efficiently maintained. They could not maintain their standard of living and wages, and increase food production in this country if they were, at the same time, to expose the home producer to the unlimited com-

petition at knock-out prices of job lots of food from all over the world. Hon. members must make up their minds which way they are going to have it. (Cheers). The regulation of imports must be an integral part of any agricultural, policy in this country. Everyone desired a greater production of food. The production of pigs in this country had enormously increased. There was no danger whatever of a shortage in pig production. His difficulty was to deal with the hundreds of thousands of pigs which came rushing and squealing at him from all parts of the country. (Laughter and cheers). Hp was in immediate difficulties with trade from Denmark, Sweden, the Baltic States, and Canada. He had had to reduce the importation of pigs into this country. It had not needed any loan to increase pig production here. As soon as it looked like a profitable proposition pig production expanded 70 percent in a few months. If the agriculturists or the townspeople in this country could see that there was a shadow of remuneration, the Government did not need to put their hand into their pocket. Idle capital would pour into the industry. The danger would come from over-production and not from under-production. Facile Food Expansion It was vital for the House to realise, first, that the possibilities of food expansion in this country were great; secondly, that except for the limited extent to which world consumption could be increased, increased production at home meant decreased importation from abroad; and, thirdly, that the average producer in this country, or in any other country, could not compete with the selected producer on a selected spot, with a Selected climate, producing a selected crop and dumping it in as a surplus

quite outside his ordinary range of agricultural production. It was necessary to insulate agricultural production in this country, as it had been insulated in every other country, if it was to survive. If he could tell the smallholder that prices would be remunerative, he (Mr. Elliot) would have to set up all sorts of barriers to keep the smallholders from going on the land. (Laughter). With regard to agricultural employment, last year, for the first time for twenty years, the continuous de- I

crease had been arrested. More people were returned as employed on ! the land than in the previous year, ! although he admitted that the numbers were far below those of earlier years.

Expansion in the egg production of the country had been quite phenomenal in the last two or three years, and it meant at the present rate of increase the wiping out of every egg from Denmark, from Russia, from China, and from the Dominions as well. The planning of the trade of this country was forced on the Government by the necessities of the

case, and the Government would have to come to the House frequently in the months and years in front of them to ask for sanctions for wide and sweeping changes in the economic structure. (Cheers).

“I can forsee that within a few years farmers will not be able to drive stock on the main roads, as even now with the number of motor cars on the roads it is most difficult to drive stock.”—Mr. E. R. Walker at Farmers’ Union meeting.