EMERGENCY FOOD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23044, 23 May 1938, Page 6

EMERGENCY FOOD

BOUGHT IN SECEET BRITISH WAR SUPPLIES HOW DEALS WERE MADE SPECIAL OFFICIAL'S ROLE [FROM OUR OWN CORRKSrOXDEN'T] LONDON, April 30 Tho Government's plan of wheat, jrhale oil and sugar purchases, disclosed by Sir John Simon in his Budget speech, was a well-kept secret. It was known in the markets that the Government was a likely purchaser "to ensure," as Sir John put it, "that the stocks in this country should be maintained at the level safe for tho needs of tho civil population during the early months of au emergency," but that the purchases had been effected was a surprise. This storo of food, estimated to have cost £10,01)0,000, is intended to feed the civil population of England for tho iirst few months should war break out. It has been stocked by careful foresight and adroit buying, under the direction of a modest, almost unknown civil servant, Sir Henry French. Two years ago, at the age of o-3, Sir Henry (then Mr.) French, was taken from a comparatively minor post in the Ministry of Agriculture and appointed by Sir Ihonias lnskip as Djfoo tor of the newlv-formed Food (Defence plans) Department of tho Board of Trade. He was chosen for three reasons. Purine; the Great AN ar ho was chief administrator of the I'ood Production Dqpartment. For years he has been preparing a plan to make Britain s food supply safe, bringing it up to date with each yearly development. And, thirdly, he had his finger on the pulse oi every market, knew exactly when to buy and where to place his orders, without upsetting the normal course of trado. Free Hand in Purchasing

When Sir Henry went to the Food Department ho insisted upon having a free hand. Instead of working from "Whitehall, lie took offices in the unpretentious district of llorseferry Road, Westminster. Ho then sent 9Ut his own secret envoys to range Britain in search of sites to* store his secret purchases, find took into his confidence certain buyers whom ho could trust to watch the market and buy at his signal. a One purchase, bought on the Liverpool Exchange, concerned 21 cargoes of ■wheat,- about 200,000 tons all told. It ■was equal to two weeks' food supply and cost £1,500,000. This purchase, because. of its size, caused a speculative riot on the exchange. It is understood that the wheat bought is equal to about 10 weeks' normal supply. About the tame quantity was already in store, so that rather more than 30 weeks' supply is now available. Most of the wheat bought by the Government is from Australia, although several cargoes have been purchased from America, Canada, and the Argentine. Much of it will not be delivered until the latter part of this year. By buying when prices were low, Sir Henry could now make a handsoino profit if he wished to sell. Supplies o! Sugar and Oil By arrangement with the trades concerned, the supplies will be constantly put into circulation, so that, while the total supplies are maintained, the actual goods in store will be fresh. As ueecled, the wheat will be sold, through normal trade channels, to be replaced by newer wheat, and the same will apply to the sugar and whale oil. The same secrecy as in the case of the tfbeat purchases was observed in the buying of sugar (valuable for the making of high-explosives) and whale 011 (which also —-as glycerine—forms part of high-explosive, as well as beiug a component of margarine). It is believed that 40,000 tops of sugar have been bought, at a co«;t of £27000,000, from Australia. South Africa, Natal, the West Indies and Mauritius. The bags of sugar probably will be stored in various parts of the country. Sir Henry was supported in his pur-: chasing proposals by naval experts, who advocated storage as a means of releasing ships from convoy work in time of war. Deplorable State ot Agriculture The great need for secrecy Jed the Cabinet to act without Parliamentary sanction. Commenting on this secret purchase plan,-Alderman A. R. Bretherick, of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, who is to second a resolution demanding food storage at the Association of British Chambers of Commerce conference in London, said: "This announcement by Sir John is an indication that the Government has at last yielded to the pressure of those who have been saying that if it was wise to have a national, defence scheme for the Navy, [Army and Air Force, it was equally necessary to see that the food supplies jvere Jooked after. "It is no good equipping forces if the larder is emptv. Much more i? required yet. The Government eannot keep secret the deplorable state of the country's agriculture. They must get the land into a state of cultivation now."