FAMINE IN BENGAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 231, 30 September 1943, Page 5

FAMINE IN BENGAL

“MAN-MADE” SAYS OBSERVER

Recd. 6 p.m. I.ondon, Sept. 28. “The famine in Bengal is almost entirely man-made,” declares Sir Alfred Watson, writing in the Daily Telegraph. Ho adds: “Bengal is the most fertile province in India and has fed itself when other areas have starved. The Indian Ministry ruling the province in these days looked on complacently until the crisis developed. It even rejected offers of help. Meanwhile those having grain have withheld it from the market for sale at fantastic prices.” The Daily Express says: “The British public will expect instant, action, because this is our artair, touching on our honour and good sense. While Indians drop dead from starvation, we read in the newspapers that Canadian wheat ma,y have to be converted into spaghetti for Italian consumption. What about the Benghalis?” The South Wales miners’ executive carried a resolution urging the immediate recall of Parliament to discuss the famine in India and demanded that, the Government take immediate steps to relieve the distress. It also asked for an immediate inquiry into allegations that profiteering had caused the famine. The executive voted £250 for Indian relief from the miners’ fund.