THE FOOD QUESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 25

THE FOOD QUESTION.

(By Cable.) LONDON, May 6. _ In the House of Commons Sir Erie Geddes stated that the Government had purchased the whole of the Australian and New Zealand exportable surplus of frozen meat. The quantity of New Zealand meat awaiting shipment on March 31 was 173,639 tons, and shipment was proceeding as fast as steamers became available. Beef and wether mutton were generally reserved for the Allied forces, and light mutton and lamb for civilians in Britain. Small quantities of New Zealand meat bad been exported to the west coast of Canada and the United States. May 10. The Star protests against the Government permitting the American Beef Trust to handle half the meat in England which the Government has purchased, and ridicules the feeble compromise under which the remaining 50 per cent. _is marketed by colonial merchants, pointing out that they otherwise would be temporarily out of business owing to the Government purchasing the Australasian output for the armies of occupation. In the House of Commons, on the vote £1,451,700 for the departmental officers’ salaries of the Ministry of Food, Mr G. H. Roberts, Food Controller, claimed that the rationing and distribution of food had been successful. The Ministry’s trading in 1917-18 showed a net profit of £132,000 on a turnover of £67,000,000. Fopd control had effectively steadied the rising of food prices, which were lower in Britain than elsewhere. In the first year of the war they rose 3 per cent, per month, and since the armistice they had decreased 4 per cent, per month. It was vain to hope for a great further decrease, because peace would involve the opening of the world’s markets and Britain to world prices for imported articles. The Government during war time had handled 85 per cent, of Britain’s food, had fixed the prices of 94 per cent, of foodstuffs, only excepting luxuries. The Ministry would cease operations in November. Mr Clynes, late Food Controller, in the House of Commons urged the retention of some form of food control to protect the people against trusts aGI combines. Mr Hodge, a former Minister, pleaded for expediting the of wheat from Australia and the Argentine, with a view to removing the - burden of bread subsidy.