REDUCED TO FAMINE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 260, 20 January 1941, Page 8

REDUCED TO FAMINE

NAZI PILLAGE IN FRANCE

Britain has agreed to the despatch by the Americans of medical sup* plies and certain foodstuffs to unoccupied France; but there is to be no relaxation of the blockade.

Germany and some of her agents tried to mobilise sympathy with France in the United States, in an effort to break the blockade; but the clear demonstration that food famine in the occupied countries is due to Nazi pillage spoiled the German plan, and to-day the blockade continues to press heavily on the German war machine.

When the Germans seek to break the blockade it is not for food, but, for materials essential to thq production of Avar machine. In food she is now fairly well stocked, because she has pillaged most of Europe.

France, in particular, has suffered. She was brought to famine level before winter descended on her. Over 800,000 tons of wheat were taken from France by the Nazis, who, befor the crops were harvested, marked the best fields with the swastika to reserve them for the Reich.

It is reported, too, that in France over 1,000.000 pigs w r ere requisitioned in a fortnight of September. This slaughter of live stock repeated the Nazi operations in Denmark and the Netherlands. There are'well authen r ticated reports that the Germans also demanded 58 per cent of the live stock in unoccupied France.

Fats are short, particularly in butter and oil. Prior to the war normal consumption was 17 kilos ahead—France in October, according to her Minister of Agriculture, possessed only enough for from 5 to 6 kilos. The heavy reduction in cows has been n cause, and also the problem of collection owing to petrol shortage. The position is most serious in the unoccupied zone, because the occupied zone produces 85 per cent of Frances' dairy products.

Normally France was self-suffi-cient in sugar. At least 80 per cent of last year's crop was lostf As practically the whole of the beet

crop was grown in the zone now occupied by the Germans;, unoccupied France faces a serious sugar shortage, which will necessitate the transformation into sugar .of part of the southern wine vintage. Meat prospects are almost hopeless.

Wine has "been plundered by tlie Germans. Dr Goebbels chprtled that when Molotov was in Berlin the "popping corks sounded like an anti-aircraft barrage." The fact that the Heisdeck firm alone had to den liver 12,000,000 bottles of chamf pagne to the Nazis gives point tos tlie doctor's statement.

The trials of the French housewife are accentuated by the time she must spend in food queues. The Petit Journal says that seven hours are required to obtain essentials: 1 % hours for butter; 1% for lard; 1% for soap; for sugar; 1 hour for alimentary pastes.

M. Caziot, the Vichy Minister of Agriculture, mentioned at the same time the breakdown in transport. This is due partly to the German seizure of vast numbers of locomotives and trucks, and also to the petrol famine. Unoccupied France has large stocks of copper, which Germany needs, and this item is expected to appear in talks with the Vichy.Government. At the same time,, many people ask why the Nazis should bring these countries to famine level when their actions must make the task,' of occupation more difficult. One of the answers is that Hitler's Germany badly needs the things she has looted. And one of the chilef reasons for needing them is the blockade.