Britain’s Food Crisis Nears Bread Rationing

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 85, 12 April 1946, Page 5

Britain’s Food Crisis Nears Bread Rationing

Received 10 p.m. LONDON, April 1 1. Britain’s campaign for saving food is to be intensified because the food position has not improved as quickly as was hoped. Britain is prepared to ration bread.

Britain lias informed the Combined Pood Board in Washington that she is willing to ration bread in the United Kingdom if the United .States is prepared to adopt the same policy. This was decided at a special meeting of Cabinet, at which Mr. Attlee presided. An official statement issued from No. 10 Downing Street adds: “Short of this, the British Government is prepared to adopt administrative mea- : sures of a comparatively effective na-' ture to those which the United States' is prepared to adopt, in order to save wheat and flour so that both countries might make the fullest contribution to the interests of the peoples of the world who are faced with starvation and famine. “The British Government has given most sympathetic consideration to Mr. La Guardia’s appeal to the main ex-

i has not improved so quickly as was ' hoped. ; Reports from the United States i show that rhe amount she is able to ! export might be smaller than was expected, even when Sir Ben Smith was in Washington. I Mr. Attlee’s letter says the appeal :is necessary because the “world is ! confronted with one of the greatest ! food crises in history.” Declaring that only the most strenuous efforts of all ' nations would save millions of lives, Mr. Attlee added: “All importing 1 countries, including the United Kingdom, have had to accept drastic re- | ductions of imports of wheat Everything is being done to ensure that these reductions shall not have a serious effect on the standard of life of our people, but the need to avoid waste and substitute other foods for bread wherever possible is of paramount importance.” Urging strong measures to avoid waste, Mr. Attlee asks for intensified cultivation of garden allotments.

porting countries to increase supplies■ to U.N.R.R.A. in order to prevent star-I 1 vation and death. The needs ot j [ U.N.R.R.A. countries undoubtedly are i. , greater largely because supplies the ! United States hoped to export during | . J the current month are falling consid- : . i erably below expectation. There is j ! likely to be great difficulty in India In ; ’ i obtaining the quantities as suggested! . i for that country during Sir Ben [: i Smith's visit to Washington. Any fall < i in supplies to India would increase the' ■ I serious danger of famine in that coun-. 1 I try, and other countries in the Bri- 1 . ' tish Commonwealth, notably South < ’ [Africa, would face a grave shortage if 1i 5 exports from the main supplying ' countries fell below figures which dur- ’ ing Sir Ben Smith’s visit to Washing- i ' ton were agreed on as reasonable.” < ! Mr. Attlee has sent letters to Lord ’ Mayors, mayors, chairmen, councils. 1 and food committees throughout the , i United Kingdom, seeking support for ’ the intensification of the save food . > campaign, because the food position I (