POTATOES WON WAR.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19815, 20 February 1936, Page 4

POTATOES WON WAR.

P’OOD PROBLEMS. ADULTERATION OF WHEAT. OVERCOMING SHORTAGE. Who did win the war? In the opinion of Mr Tweedy Smith it was not any one particular nation, even the United States, but plain potatoes. Mr Smith said he could prove it. Mr Smith, an Englishman now visiting Christchurch, was closely connected with the Ministry of Food during the war. He was director of food in the supplementary rations section, a position to which he was appointed after being invalided home from Flanders. The purpose of the Ministry of Food was to ensure a good and continuous food supply throughout Great Britain when the German submarines were playing havoc with British shipping. “People at the time thought we were fools,” said Mr Smith, “b.ut they had no conception of the problems we were facing, nor could we tell them.” When supplies of wheat and flour were scarce, as they often were, authority was given to adulterate those on hand with potatoes. It was not done haphazardly, but under scientific direction and on the advice'of medical men. Anxious Moments. It had been established, too, that under this scheme the health of the people showed a decided improvement and they came to .like what was known at the time as standard bread. The Ministry, said Mr Smith, had to work on the narrowest margin and there were many anxious moments. Great Britain was divided up ‘into districts according to the population, each area receiving its due proportion. When heel was short, for instance, the people were forced to eat mutton by a higher coupon value being placed on beef, and they could not buy so much as formerly. The public did not know why such measures were taken and regarded the officials of the Ministry as amiable but foolish old gentlemen, able to indulge any of their fancies. Spies at Work. There was another aspect of the work, too. German spies were always anxious to ferret out information concerning the date of the arrival of ships. It happened very often that Mr Smith was rung up and inquiries made on these lines. In such cases it was his practice to go to another telephone and have tiie exchange make inquiries concerning the location of the call. As director under the supplementary rations scheme it was one of Mr Smith’s duties to determine what persons were entitled to the extra rations, borne interesting information came his way in this regard. The position of women in the munition I'aetorJcs was one instance. Tests had shown that women ate 25 per cent, less than men, and rations had been issued accordingly. Even when the tests. fnn l ’? , made ’ an unlimited quantity of wmk„7 elns , supplled ' toe proportion vvoiked out perfectly. Women or Men? Then there was the question also of the respective capabilities or women and men in the munition factories more particularly with regard to the manufacture of heavy shells. It had been established that tvvo men would as three women in the same time.