NOTES ON THE WAR

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXII, Issue 8873, 17 February 1943, Page 3

NOTES ON THE WAR

VITAL TO FINAL VICTORY BRITAIN’S HOME FRONT VALUE TO THE WAR EFFORT In the final analysis, this war, even more than wars of the past, because this is total war, will be won or lost on the home front. If it is basically true, as Hitler always contended, that Germany lost the last war through the collapse of her home front and may lose this the same way, the complete organisation of Britain’s home front to-day and its maintenance in full working and fighting order are regarded by competent outside observers as the great fundamental force which saved Britain in the days of deadly danger and has made possible victory for the United Nations. The foundation of the home front is the proper feeding of the people

without respect of class. It can be said with greater truth of Britain, perhaps, than of any other nation that she is all at war. Twothirds of her population between the ages of 14 and 64 are fully employed in the armed forces, in civil defence, in war industry, and in work essential to the life of the nation. These 23,000,000 and more form the spearhead of Britain’s war effort. They are full-time warriors. In addition nearly everyone in the country—with the exception of the very young or the very old —is doing part-time unpaid war work. The Home Guard, Fire Guard, A.R.P., National Fire Service and Royal Observer Corps together number between seven and eight millions, of which a large majority are men and women already in full-time jobs, giving up at least one night s sleep a week to their voluntary duties. In the Home Guard alone there arc almost two million men. In civil defence, apart from the National Fire Service, there are one and a quarter million men and women on whole and part-time service. Some 300,000 men and women are members of the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance Association. In the Civil Nursing Service there are 18,000 unpaid parttime workers. Two Sides To War Effort

There are two sides to the war effort. One is production, the other is saving. Production will, it is expected, reach its peak this year. Certainly the total labour force employed will show a considerable increase over 1942. In war equipment such reserves of certain types have been accumulated that whole factories can now be switched over to weapons and materials more urgently needed. The whole industrial effort this year is to be concentrated on the production of ships, anti-submarine devices, and certain specialised types of Army equipment. Now that the initiative has passed to the Allies Britain can say where she is going to fight and when. She can decide what weapons she will need, and the policy of war production is to maintain the utmost flexibility in accord with the strategy of the High Command. Food Production

For the increased production of food locally to save imports and precious shipping space there lias been an intensive agricultural effort sponsored by the Ministries of Food and Agriculture. The result is that Britain now produces two-thirds of her food requirements instead of the onethird before the war. Home gardening and allotments, which number nearly two millions in Great Britain, have aided greatly to expand food production. Some 200,000 men, women and children helped in the leisure of their evenings and week-ends to gather in the harvest of 1942. These workers are organised generally as volunteer land clubs, on the model of the original club started by a Wolverhampton housewife in May, 1940, when the danger to Britain began to loom strongly. They go out in parties in the evenings and week-ends to farms in their area. 1 hey are paid full farm wages, but, alter paying travelling expenses, hand over the balance to local charities. Eliminating Waste Elimination of waste, including the salvaging of waste materials, is on a national scale. The salvaging campaign lias reached astounding dimensions. More than half the metal has come from household tins. Over 7,000,000,000 tins, representing nearly 400,000 tons of metal, have been collected. Household collections by local authorities during the first three years of war yielded 907,91 1

tons of waste paper, 720,085 tons of ferrous metals, 24,895 tons of nonferrous metals 50,888 tons of rags, 9586 tons of rubber, 25,789 tons of bones. 456,336 tons of kitchen waste. Salvage stewards who voluntarily canvass their locality to stimulate effort now number 128,000. Women’s .Voluntary Services have a membership of over a million. More than half a million housewives have received evacuees. There are 7000 voluntary workers at the Citizens’ Advice Bureau dealing with inquiries arising out of wartime problems. Some 50,000 women are knitting for the Merchant Navy. Country Herb Committees have collected in autumn drives 2000 tons of rose hips and 1.005 tons of horse chestnuts. Towards financing the war, which is now costing Britain £14,000,000 a day, an increase of £1,250,000 since October, the voluntary savings of vast sections of British people continue to give most remarkable results. In the first two weeks of 1.943 small savers in Britain invested £12,000,000 more than they did in the corresponding fortnight of last year.

Food the Basis All this stupendous effort depends on the high morale of the people, and morale chiefly depends on how they are fed. It was mentioned in this column recently that the British people all round were being better fed in these wartimes than ever before. This is due to the complete feeding and rationing system organised and perfected under the direction of Lord Woolton. Mrs Roosevelt’s testimony to its value and achievements has already been quoted. “Rationing,” said the American Ambassador, Mr John J. Winant, recently, “is an outstanding success in British war economy. The policy of establishing the cost of living index, including the prices ot basic articles of food, with the aid of Government subsidies where necessary is fundamental to the whole wartime structure both as a means of preventing dangerous inflation and as a means with the aid of rationing, of securing equitable distribution. Mr Winant added that these British policies had been accepted politically and were supported both by organised employers and bv organised labour.

The American, Professor Sydenst richer, after carrying out an official investigation into nutrition, in Britain, declared that; he had everywhere been impressed by the general appearance of well-being and paid a tribute to the amazing and efficient job done by the Ministries of Food and Health. Much has been done by publicity, and the result, according to the best authority, is that the British housewife is using all available food in the most scien-

tific manner to the best advantage. It is contended now that the view of the British public generally is that if planning can succeed so well in the difficult and individual sphere of feeding, then planning has come to stay. The Minister of Food, Lord Woolten. himself has said, ‘‘The things t,ha: last after this war will last because I have been able to prove their value to you in these war years, and because, knowing their value, you are determined to keep them.”