MEAT SUPPLIES ABUNDANT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14330, 21 June 1917, Page 3

MEAT SUPPLIES ABUNDANT.

GRAIN ONLY OBJECT OF CONCERN LONDON, May 9. i Great Britain's ''meatless day" is to be abolished, because 'it augments the demand on breadstuff* and other substitutes which ar« less plentiful t-ha,u meat. ' Tliis was announced yesterday by Baron DevCnport, who. declared that a diminution m the consumption of breadstuffs was. of vital moment and a main factor m the situation, but he added : i "Provided! that the call for a reduction is responded to, and the efforts of the submarines are not successful beyond reasonable likelihood, Aye shall get through with a fairly sufficient balance at the time the new harvest , becomes available." Tire food . controller's pronouncement Avas made m answer to a question by Baron Buckmaster. avlio a-sked if the GoA'ernment could make any statement regarding the position of food supplies and whether the Government proposed to take any immediate steps to make certain that such supplies should be equally distributed among all classes of the population. | Continuing his reply, Baron Devonport said : ' i "As I recently stated, the consumption of bread has not yet been sufficiently reduced m the country generally. Large classes of the community have diminished their consumption, but the pressure on the working classes, owing especially to the shortage of potatoes and the severity of the winter . and spring, has been so great that it ha-s almost been impossible, until recently for them, however willing, to cut doAvn their bread consumption. "In the meantime, the food conservation campaign, which is being conducted vi'th great energy, has been greatly stimulated by the action of his Majesty m yhe proclamation promulgated last Wcr' . Tftough it takes some time to bring home to the people generally the reality o* the situation, the efforts now being made are .cumulative, and Aye may confidently expect that m the course of the next few weeks they will realise substantial results. "Apart, hoAvever, from the actual consumption of bread, the quantity of wheat Avhich this country requires' will be lessened by reason of' the fact that all flour must contain, under mv milling orders, 10 per cent, more of the coritents of Avheat or grain than m normal times, and must a.fso have at least 10 P^ r cent, pf other breadstuffs mixed with it. I may find it necessary still further to increase the extraction of flour from Avheat and to augment its admixture with other cereals." Discussing the supply of other highly important necessaries, Baron Devonport sand tha* the imports of meat since Jan. 1 were little less than m the corres- • ponding period of last year and that the ' home herds were as large, if not larger, than at any previous period. "With little prospect of a meat shortage^ so long as my orders were adhered to," he continued, "Aye decided to abolish the meatless day, enforced by the May meats regulation order, as haA^ing a tendency to augment the demand on breadstuffs and other substitutes Avhich were les s plentiful m supply tlhan meat. The supplies of what are technically known as fats, such as butter, margarine and lard, have so far been better this year than last year." Regarding th© necessity of securing equality of supply among all classes of the people, Baron Devonport said : "In vieAv of the increase of submarine activity, and being determined to take ; no risks of shortage, Aye thought it ex- ( pedient that preliminary steps should bo taken fo^ a system of rationing. As this system will have to be administered by the local authorities, some time must necessarily be occupied m preparing them for the discharge of their duties-" Tin's portion of Baron Devonport's speech undoubtedly A\*as intended as am ansAver to the demands Avhich are being made by a number of newspapers that the ration system be put into force im- I ] mediately. The controversy over this ' ' |>oint is being Avaged with considerable i heat. i