RATIONS CUT IN BRITAIN

Southland Times, Issue 25680, 24 May 1945, Page 5

RATIONS CUT IN BRITAIN

MANY ITEMS OF FOOD AFFECTED (8.0.W.) RUGBY, May 22. British consumers will find no alleviation in their food rationing conditions in the statement made by the Minister of Food, Mr J. J. Llewelliii, on food supplies today. The main points of the Minister’s statement are: (1) The domestic sugar ration will probably be maintained, but there will be no Christmas bonus of half a pound of preserving sugar. (2) The cooking fat ration will be reduced from two ounces to one ounce a week. (3) The soap ration will be reduced by one-eighth, except for babies and young children. (4) The quantity of non-priority milk will be reduced earlier ' this year than last. (5) The cheese ration of two ounces will be maintained. (6) The reduction of the 1/2 meat ration will be avoided by the inclusion of one-seventh of supplies in the form of corned beef for about five months of the year. (7) Points for carmed meat will be reduced from 24 to 20 over a given rationing period. (8) There will be no rice for civilian consumption this year. Mr Llewellin emphasized that there would be no cut in the national milk scheme, school meals or special measures for providing mothers with food of particular value to babies. The Minister added that steps were being taken to reduce the standard of rationing for German prisoners of war. It would be lower than the standard for civilians, but there were likely to be additional allowances for prisoners who worked.

“The food reductions recall the most stringent days of the U-boat campaign, and, indeed, go even further,” says The Daily Mail. “No major item of our spartan diet, except cheese, is unaffected, and many are now reduced for the first time. Mr Llewellin’s decisions will be a shock to the country and are likely to cause not only disappointment, but resentment, because the people have been almost completely unprepared for the grim hews now given them. Next year our belts will have to be pulled tighter than ? they have been since 1939. We can grin and bear it, provided we know that everything possible has been done to mitigate the shortages and that we will not be called upon for an unfairly high contribution in what should be a common sacrifice.”