FOOD FOR WAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25202, 15 May 1945, Page 6

FOOD FOR WAR

MANY ACHIEVEMENTS dominion scientists Achievements in the production of dehydrated food and emergency rations in New Zealand during the war were outlined by Dr J. C. Andrews, who has been responsible for a groat deal of tho research done in this direction, in a lecture to members of the Auckland Institute at the University College last night. He paid a high tribute to the band of scientific workers throughout New Zealand who had helped to overcome the problem of supplying food for the armed forces and to the foodprocessing firms who had co-operated in the work. The success of various experimental foods was attributed by Dr Andrews to the fact that they were produced in accordance with the findings of the Hot Springs Conference of 1943 at which the food requirements of the United Nations were worked out on a nutritional basis. He said the Food Preservation Committee of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research had j been largely responsible for the dis-1 coveries made in New Zealand. I Dehydration of Foods "Ono of the greatest single factors in tho success of tho Allied nations war effort was the dehydration of foods," continued Dr Andrews. The dehydration of butter was really a New Zealand achievement for whidh much of the credit must go to scientific workers at the Massey Agricultural College. They had perfected a process enabling ordinary dairy butter to be dehydrated, thus saving some 15 per cent in weight. The fact that it could be shipped to the United Kingdom in ordinary stowage was an enormous advantage owing to the sinking of many refrigerated vessels. Dealing with the dehydration of meat, he said a considerable amount of initial work had been done at the low temperature research station at Cambridge and information was made available to Australia, the Argentine and Brazil. A plant had been established at Feilding capable of producing 5000 tons of dried meat per annum. New Zealand's production of dehydrated vegetables from factories operating at Hastings, Pukekohe and Christthurch had been a major contribution to the Allied war effort. Improved methods of dehydrating such fruit as apples, peaches, pears and apricots had been developed. In the United States, attention had been paid to the dehvdration of the juice of oranges and lemons. The work of producing butter that would not melt in the tropics had been done at, Massey College.

The "Quick-lreeze" Process Dr Andrews mentioned that the introduction into New Zealand of the "quick-freeze" process of preserving vegetables had enabled them to be delivered to hospitals in forward areas in the Pacific in a state of ''garden freshness." Another interesting achievement in the Dominion was the production of food yeast. To overcome the shortage of tin plate duo to tho loss of Malaya, synthetic containers had been perfected, the most useful of which was the wax carton. When the demand arose for an emergency battle ration that could be carried by troops engaged on quick thrusts, especially in the jungle, New Zealand had produced an article which included waterproof matches and smokeless fuel for boiling soup. Nonmelting Chocolate had been made and chewing gum with specially fortified coating produced. The latter was included in an action ration packed specially for the Navy. Ex-en canned water had been put up, while a copper salt suitable as a shark repellant had been produced in Wellington. For the refugee children from Poland, who had suffered from the lack of nutritious food, a special jam was made, fortified by the addition of synthetic ascorbic acid. In conclusion, Dr Andrews stated that there was still a lot to bo done in the production of foodstuffs and the research would go on. There were problems ahead greater than those met during the war and there was an opportunity for New Zealand to contribute toward their solution.

BATTLE OF MARKETS ALLIES OUTBID GERMANS (Rml. 9.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, May 1-1 When the Nazis vitally needed skins and woollens for winter fighting in Russia the Allies stepped in on the Spanish market;—the only one available to the Germans —and forced up prices beyond the enemy's reach. The chief battlegrounds of markets were Turkey, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. The United States were heavy buyers of tungsten in Spain, where prices jumped 3000 per cent. In addition, Spain imposed a 100 per cent export tax, but the Allies left the metal in Spain because their own resources were adequate. The Germans leased the only celestite mine in Portugal (celestite is used in tracer bullets), but the-Allies outbid the Nazis, whose lease was broken. Switzerland was a difficult problem, but the Allies tied' up skilled workmen by smuggling in raw materials and smuggling out finished goods, mostly by air.

NAZI "SLAVE SHIP" 1379 CAMP SURVIVORS (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, May IS The German "slave ship" Homburg has arrived at Malmo, carrying 1379 human wrecks from German concentration camps, reports Renter's Stockholm correspondent. Conditions on the ship were indescribably bad, and the medical personnel removing the prisoners had to work in rubber masks, The prisoners who were dressed in paper suits, had been confined to holds and lifeboats since May 4, and for five days had been without food or drink. The majority are political prisoners from camps around Danzig, including that at Stutthof, in which, according to one Pole, only 100 survived out of 35,000 prisoners. LARGO CABELLERO FREED MOSCOW. May 13 Largo Cabellero, a forjnor Republican Prime Minister of Spain, is reported to have been liberated from the Oranienburg concentration camp. PARIS "BLUEBEARD" (Reed. (3.30 p.m.) PARIS, May 13 It is officially announced that Petiot, the Paris "bluebeard," who lias admitted to having killed and cremated 05 persons, had no connection with the French Resistance Movement. He will be tried on a straight criminal basis. PRESIDENT'S ENVOY (Reed. 0.30 p.m. ) WASHINGTON, May 13 Mr Donald Nelson has resigned from the post of President's personal representative to other Governments. His place will he taken by his executive assistant, .Mr Adrian A. Lock. WAR CRIMES POST (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON. May 12 President Truman has appointed Lieu-tenant-Colonel ,T. V. Hodgson to be United States commissioner on the United Nations War Crimes Investigation Commission, replacing Mr Herbert Pell, who has resigned. ITALIAN POLITICS (Reed. 5.3.5 p.m.) ROME, May 13 Fourteen members of the Italian Government. headed by the Prime Minister, Signor Bnnomi, will go to Northern Italy next week to make contact with tho liberation authorities in an attempt to solve the political deadlock.