FOOD FOR EUROPE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24430, 16 October 1940, Page 6

FOOD FOR EUROPE

The suggestions from certain quarters that the British blockade should be relaxed to permit of the sending of food supplies to prevent famine in the pending winter in the enemy-occupied countries of Europe are plainly inspired from Germany. The official German view is that stocks of all essential foodstuffs are actually plentiful in Germany. The German Food Minister said only a few days ago that there was no shortage of bread grain and that the bread supply was secure for a. long period. He added that deliveries of milk had increased- — doubtless due to the raiding of conquered territories —the potato harvest would be about 5,000,000 tons above last year’s figure, sugar beet had reached a, record high level of production, the fat ration had not been reduced, and the meat ration would not be reduced all the winter. He went on to say that the difficulties in the Low Countries were much exaggerated abroad and that it would be “ their own fault ” if a few French towns went hungry in the coming months. All this presents, from the German angle, a very reassuring picture. It will be noticed, nevertheless, that the emphasis is on the adequacy of German stocks, and that Herr Darre had little to say about Nazi acceptance of responsibility for the feeding of the millions who are now unwilling citizens of the enlarged Reich. The truth is that German propaganda for months past has been subtly indicating that Germany could not be expected to concern herself greatly with the feeding of occupied Europe, and that Great Britain could in fact avert “ a serious food shortage ” without aiding Germany by relaxing her blockade of the Continent. “ Without aiding Germany ” is an ingenuous phrase in that context. If German stocks of food are still well held the fact of plenty is due not to German production or to the capacity of Germany to import, but to the ruthless policy of spoliation of occupied lands that has been carried on since the lightning march of the Nazis into northern and western Europe. We know positively that Germanised Poland, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and France are threatened with serious short-

ages, for the simple reason that crops were ruined by the spread of war and that since their capitulation live stock and stores of all foodstuffs have been commandeered, either wholly or in part, for transference to the Reich proper. Germany’s first responsibility is toward Germans, the Nazi press has openly proclaimed, and it has declared also that while Germany will be actuated by humanitarian motives “to some degree,” she cannot be expected to have too much regard for populations “ which fought Germany and now face want because they have ruined, neglected or deserted their own farms.” Thus is the moral issue cynically disposed of, even while it is argued that Great Britan’s war effort would not be affected by relaxation of the blockade to an extent that would permit of outside supplies reaching hungry Frenchmen, Belgians, Poles or Netherlanders. Fortunately there is a growing awareness, especially in the United States, of the real Nazi motive in thus guaranteeing the effectiveness of any famine relief campaign that might be contemplated. Some, of the food thus shipped might find its way into the homes of the subjugated peoples of Europe. Most of it, it is certain, would follow the trail of earlier supplies into Germany, on the wellrecognised principle that Germans must come first, even if millions of others starve. It is unlikely that there will be any serious attempt on the part of American interests to move Great Britain from her determination to maintain the full pressure of the blockade. The growth of sentiment of that nature will be again discouraged by a reported pronouncement of prominent Americans against it. The American people are realising more and more, as the totalitarian conspiracy against civilisation develops, that the struggle which Great Britain is sustaining alone demands the maximum co-operation of all freedomloving nations. The British Government, for its part, takes the view that there will be no famine in Europe even though there may be some hardship, if Germany distributes equitably the stocks of food that are available. That probability apart, the exigencies of war demand that the enemy’s war machine shall be crippled by every available means. No mercy can be shown while the enemy himself would be likely to be the first to benefit from it.