FOOD SHORTAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23869, 21 January 1941, Page 7

FOOD SHORTAGE

PLIGHT OF FRANCE BRITAIN NOT TO BLAME SUPPLIES TAKEN TO GERMANY By Telegraph Press Association —Copyright (Received January '2O, .*>.35 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Jan. in An analysis of fhe figures of French production and sources of supply of certain foodstuffs cuts deeply into (lernian-inspired arguments that the food shortage in France is due (o fhe British blockade. "\\ ith the pro-British feeling in both occupied and unoccupied France growing rapidly, it is becoming increasingly difficult to persuade frenchmen that privations due to German rapacity ;tre really caused by their erstwhile ally. In June, 1910, when this aspect was not so important to German propaganda as it has since become, the Deutsche Allgemeinc Zeitung, possibly to allay any suspicion that the German victory over France might increase privation among the German people should the war go on over the winter, pointed out that on a calory basis trance normally was self-sufficient to the extent of B,'} per cent, which could be increased to 150 per cent if her productive forces were more fully developed. Potatoes and Sugar An analysis of the figures for French food production and imports set out in the last available International Year Book of Agricultural Statistics, which is published in Rome, goes far to support this opinion. These figures reveal that in 19.'5S France imported less than .1 per cent of her total potato supply, 4 per cent of her wheat, 5 per cent: of her barley, 12 per cent of her sugar and less than 5 per cent of her requirements of eggs. Both in 1 9.M7 and 19.'1S there was a small export of milk and butter. In these circumstances it. is difficult to see how blame can be cast on the British for any shortage. Nor is the case made stronger by figures published on .January 8 by the Vichy Information Secretariat, which stated that French imports of potatijes amounted in ly;>8 to 158.500 tons. There was an implication that the cutting out of these imports by the British blockade had caused a shortage. This statement overlooked the fact that iu J'.Kiß France ''.ported 90,00° t<m» of potatoes, which figure should, of course, be used to offset, the figure for imports. In any event, however, these figures are insignificant fractions of France's total domestic output of potatoes. Admission by Germans The same results are reached in consideration of the Vichy statement that in ltf.'iH France had to import ill(>,900 tons of sugar. Here French exports were 1,930,000 tons. In addition France was in the habit of carrying stocks equal to 25 per cent of her total requirements. Germany, C/.echo-Slovakia and Poland were all large exporters of sugar and were the normal sources of French imports of this commodity. So here, again, the British blockade has no influence on any French sugar shortage. Ihe real .reason for privations in countries occupied by German arms has been given by the German propaganda machine itself. On January 7 the Transocean News Service stated: "Keats hitherto never performed have been carried out in connection with the defeat of Belgium, Holland ;iml France, such as the removal of enormous quantities of bootv."