AUSTRALIA’S MEAT RATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25800, 22 March 1945, Page 6

AUSTRALIA’S MEAT RATION

REDUCTION PROBABLE (Rec. 10 p.m.) CANBERRA, Mar. 21. Australia may .reduce her meat ration to help to avert the threatened cut in Britain’s ration. This was stated officially to-day. The spokesman said it was hoped that this would influence the United States to make a further reduction in the American ration which would ensure the maintenance of Britain’s ration at the present level. It is understood that Britain has asked Australia to make a 5 per cent, cut in her ration, which would mean a saving of 25,000 tons a year. Commerce officials said Britain would receive very little more meat if the Australian civilian ration were cut another 5 or 10 per cent. They revealed that recent Australian meat shipments had gone to 20 major world ports—the largest number in the history of the meat industry. Supplies had also gone to the Allied forces on the western front. The officials said that Australia’s meat export surplus was greater now than before the war, but that heavy service requirements reduced the quantity reaching British civilians.