THE FOOD PROBLEM.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 865, 17 November 1916, Page 8

THE FOOD PROBLEM.

POSITION IN ENGLAND. DRASTIC MEASURES PROPOSED. CONTROLLER TO BE APPOINTED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, November 15. In the House of Commons, Mr W. <A. S. Hewins moved that it was the Government's duty to adopt further methods of organisation to increase the national food supply and so diminish the risk of shortage in the event of the war being prolonged. He staled that we were faced with a permanent increase of prices which might last for many years. The problem, primarily, was one of production. We should adopt a national agriculture policy. A Bad Time Ahead. Mr W. FTunciman, President of the Board of Trade, said that the strain this country would have to bear in 1917 was primarily one of food supplies. Tragic as it might be, it would be more severe for Austria and Germany. He declared that it was not necessary to stimulate the production of wheat in Canada or Australia. Canada's crop was abundant, and transport was easy. Next year we would have to depend upon Australian supplies. The fact that we had commandeered a large fleet at artificial rates had been at the base of the problem of transport. It had also encouraged Australian produc-i tion. The food problem was shared by France and Italy. The Government regarded the whole shipment of wheat for the Allies as one problem to be dealt with by one requisitioned fleet.

Building New Ships. He expected that the half-year's production of shipping would approach 500,000 tons. He was arranging for pooling the engineering efforts on the Tyne and elsewhere, and was bringing back hundreds of skilled workers from the front. In a normal year we could build up practically the whole tonnage lost since the war. Germany knew that we had chartered neutral ships, hence her submarine warfare. No More White Flour. The Government was taking powers to prevent undue profits on the part of potato-growers and milksellers. It woukl be necessary to dispense with some forms of food, especially with elaborate confectionery food. A controller would be necessary to co-ordinate activities. Powers would be taken to prescribe the purposes for which articles should be used, and to prosecute persons wasting or destroying food. If a voluntary effort at economy failed, then drastic measures would be necessary. He proposed to prohibit the milling of fine white flour, thus raisink the yield by 8i per cent. Food Tickets if Necessary. The Government was taking powers to regulate the market, to prevent cornering, and to deal with the sale and distribution of articles in order to be in a position to act immediately. If the necessity arose the Government would use food tickets. It did not propose to fix minimum prices, but would ask for power, to fix fair prices. He had been told that the country wanted to be governed. He asked the House to give the Cabinet the power to govern it. Not Drastic Enough. Sir Edward Carson said Hint the House expected more drastic proposals. The country should be told that the dillicullies were due to the reduction of tonnage by submarines rather than to illegitimate profits, lie hoped that the Food Controller would be a dictator with power to snub departments if they failed to do what he required. Approval of Labour. Mr G. C. Wardle, on behalf of Labour, welcomed the proposals, and expressed the opinion that the country's resources ought to have been organised at the outbreak of flic war. He expected that Mr Runciman would have to go yet further in this direction.

The Controller's Powers. Mr Runciman later explained that a Bill would be passed at the earliest possible moment embodying the Government's proposals. Some were immediately practicable under existing powers, notably those relating to milk contracts, potatoes, slocks of Hour, and milling wheat. The Food Controller would be appointed immediately a suitable man was found. He would have drastic powers. The Board of Trade would regard him as the most essential man in the Empire. Co-ordination of Effort. As demonstrating the necessity for treating big ship-building centres as

one concern, Mr Runciman cited the fact that 1C vessels in the Wcarsidc yards were awaiting engines. He had arranged to concentrate upon the most advanced vessels, and hoped that at the end of the year no vessels would behalf-finished. Mr Runciman said he regarded new construction as the most important part of the shipping problem. There was a temporary steel shortage, but he hoped, as the result of the action of the Minister of Munitions, there would be ample supplies available at the New Year.