THE FOOD SHORTAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 16

THE FOOD SHORTAGE.

Rationing was introduced on February 25, and there were novel scenes at restaurants •rid 'hotels. The majority adopted the sys-

; tern of exchanging vouchers for meat coupons especially. Fish was in great demand, and vegetarian dishes were common. In the House of Commons Mr Herbert 6amuel warned the Ministry that his min ing constituents were threatening to down tools if they were rationed on the London basis, which took no account of occupations. The miners could not hew holes on vegetables. Mr dynes (Food Control Department) replied that many workers would be allowed more meat than other people. The first experience of rationing shows it to be more satisfactory than queues, but has disclosed the need of amending details, specially as regards meat. The majority of families kept their week's coupons for a Sunday joint, thus creating a week-end rush, with which the butchers were unable' to cope, and on Sunday there were again gome queues at the butchers' shops. LABOUR AND THE WAR. The Miners' Conference at London decided to take a ballot of all members on the proposal to comb out 50,000 miners for the army.' It is understood that the conference was fairly evenly divided for and against immediate acceptance of the scheme. Another resolution, in favour of peace negotiations received small support. The Press Bureau reports that Mr Lloyd George, Mr Barnes, Sir Auckland Geddes, an Mr G. H. Roberts (Minister of Labour) aro_ conferring with the Amalgamated Society of Engineers' delegates. 3 SOCIALISTS' CONFERENCE. The Inter-allied Socialist Conference more precisely defined and gave greater prominence to the League of Nations proposal than the British memorandum. Besides the creation of a High Court to settle disputes, it suggests the establishment of an International Legislature in which every civilised State would participate to develop international legislation. The conference made it clear that disannexation must precede plebiscites, and that any German annexation of Livonia, Courland, and Lithuania would be a flagrant violation of international law. An allied Labour war aims memorandum will shortly bo forwarded to enemy Socialists through neutral channels' under M. Branting's (Sweden) pilotage. He is organising a committee of neutral Socialists to participate in a demonstration. If the congress is convened for Stockholm or Switzerland it will not assemble before,, two or three months. Allied Labourites refuse to meet German majority Socialists unless passports are granted for the * German minority Socialists also. The Daily Telegraph's Labour correspondent, criticising the Inter-allied LabourSocialist Conference, just concluded in London, says it is doubtful whether all the delegates would endorse any application of the findings to the claims of their own nationalities. The Independent Labour party refused to participate in the conference, because it was proposed to exclude separate Socialist representation from any future, international meeting; while American Labour intimated that the time has not come to parley with the enemy. Finally, the absence of delcsrates from the" overseas dominions lV deplorable. They could represent most important opinions i\\->rtr\ the future possession of the German colonies. The dominions have given the best of their manhood, and had every right

to bo consulted on the matter so vitally concerning their future existence. MORE BARBAROUS -CONDUCT. The [newspaper L'Homme Libre states that 1000 hostages, selected from prominent French people in the occupied area, inducting rclined girls, have been taken from their homes and sent to'Hollzminden camp as reprisal for air raids. They are exposed to scandalous treatment there. In one case 50 girls, who refused to make sacks for the enemy, were locked up without proper food or light for over a month, their mattresses and bedclothes, and even their . woollen being taken from them. They were only released when a Spanish inspector arrived to visit the camp. The Germans made _ an effort to hide the outrage, but the Spaniard learnt the facts. ITALIAN TRAITORS. The Daily Chronicle's Milan correspondent states that the authorities have discovered instances of shameless trading with the enemy in silk and cotton shred, suitable for the wings of aeroplanes and airships. Commandatore Gneichs, the president, and the other directors of the Lombard Silk Thread Company, with a capital of £500.000, have been arrested. , The company ..made a profit of £BOO,OOO during 1916. Further arrests, are expected. The espionage case has revealed a veritable hornets' nest of financial schemers in Switzerland working in Germany's interest. „ The chief operator is an Austrian banker named Rosenberg, who lived in Paris till the war, and then took refuge in Zurich. He engaged a large staff of spies, for whose payments Erzberger, the German Reichstag "deputy, deposited a large sum. Erzberger and 8010 stayed at the same hotel at Zurich in 1915, and evidence has been obtained of the visit there of agents, '.v'>o frrquently visited. Zurich, and on their return to Paris paid Swiss cheques into their accounts at Paris banks. tf'ur'tncr arrests on silk-smugghng charges include three millionaires—Dubins, Ceresa, and Brainda—also Commenditore Felmranelli, one of the richest men in Italy. HOW GERMANY WAS CHECKED. Lord Denbigh, speaking at the Colonial Institute, revealed the fact that the Germans early in 1916 (?1906) were seeking concessions in the Madeira Islands. The German Ambassador told the Portuguese Government that unless the concessions were granted tho Kaiser would send his navy up the Tagus'to Lisbon. Tho Portuguese Government cabled to Britain, and the Admiralty prepared to mobilise the fleet, but changed the plan to an order for the Atlantic fleet to steam to Portugal. Meanwhile the Kaiser was informed through an undiplomatic source of what had happened, and next day the German Ambassador at Lisbon notified Portugal that he had exceeded his instructions. WAR BONDS. Mr Bonar Law. in a speech at the Aid/ wych Club, said that the national war bonds were an assured success. They had already raised more than the total of the new money secured by the 4-i per cent, war loan. He said we had a rugged path to climb, but there was no ground for discouragement or faint-hoartednoss. Germany could not break our lines. All Germanv's peace talk was froth. If it were possible

to hold an elections in Britain at the pre-' sent time on the plain issue of continuing the war until they had secured the results for which they had entered into it, the result would astonish us and our enemies. . SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENT. The South African Union Assembly, by_7B votes to 22, adopted General Botha's motion granting leave of absence to General Smuts. Nationalist members strongly opposed the motion, declaring that they were _ unconcerned what General Smuts was doing for the British Empire; they wanted to know what he was doing as a Minister of the Union. General Botha replied that neace might come at any time, and General Smuts would then look after South Africa's interests at the Peace Conference. Rebutting the Nationalists' complaint, General Botha said that, as an integral part of the Empire, they had to do things of which under ordinary circumstances they might not have dreamt. He intended to stand to the Empire, because South Africa's future depended thereon. ALSACE AND LORRAINE. At the national Alsace-Lorraine celebrations at the Sorbomie there was an imposing ceremony. M. Pichon, on behalf of the Government, said that Count von Hertling was pretending that the annexation of Alsace and Lorraine would be carried out in order to reoccupy German territory which "France had usurped. Th.» ex Empress Eugenie, however, had just given to the national archives a letter from William I dated October 26, 1870, saying: " Germany insists on territorial concessions for no other reason except to make sure that the next war will find her better prepared to meet aggression, which is certain to come directly France has regained her strength and secured her Allies." M. Pichon also read a telegram dated July 31, 1914, from Dr von Bcth-mann-Hollweg to von Choen (German Ambassador to Paris). This stated that if the French Government remained neutral von Choen must inform it that as a guarantee of such neutrality Germany would insist on France handing over the fortresses of Toulon and Verdun, which Germany would occupy and restore after the war. It was added: "Germany must have a reply before 4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon."