HELPING OTHERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 37, 31 December 1943, Page 6

HELPING OTHERS

FOOD RATIONING IN WARTIME

NEEDS OF BRIvLWIX

Civilians in Britain receive. 1s 'id worth of meat each week, and, according to a recent statement by Lord Woolton, the former Food Minister, difficulty may be experienced in maintaining even this meagre ration owing tiv the fal-l in imports from producing countries. In addition, British people have for a long time had to be content with an allowance of butter Avhich makes the amount under rationing in Ncav Zealand appear almost lavish. These are facts that should never be forgotten by those forunate enough to ■liA-e at a safe distance from the. roar of battle and in lands so amply endowed. by nature that l all the. products of the earth are available to them. Our admiration for the. people of Britain and for the fortitude Avith Avliich they have accepted the sacrifices in order that the needs of the fighting men might be met has been expressed on many occasions,, but admiration, unless it is accompanied by something more practical, does not help the. people of Britain. What they need is greater supplies of the necessaries of life. For those supplies Britain must depend almost entirely on the. primary-producing countries of the Empire, of Avhich Ncav Zealand is one of the most favoured. Ngav Zealand lias recently rationed her butter in order to help her kinsmen in the Mother Country, and Britain's gratitude for this action Avas gracefully expressed by Sir Walter Lay ton, leader of the British press delegation,, in an intervieAV (.says the. Wellington Evening Post). Dominion's Plain Duty It is true, as Sir .Walter remarked, that it is not. easy for a country AA'hich is a producer of foodstuffs to ration • itself. People become accustomed to obtaining all they require, and sometimes a great deal more, than they require, and when they are called upon to cut. down they feel the pinch. War, hoAvever,., demands common sacrilices in a

common interest, and it is New Zealand's plain duty, as well as privilege:, to do everything that slu: possibly can to supplement the meagre supplies of essential foodstuffs that are available to the people ol' .Great Britain. A start lias been made, by rationing butter, and there have been suggestions that meat may later have to be dealt with. But the solution ol' the problem of sending greater supplies of foodstuffs to Britain does' not lie: whol'ly in rationing. Lord Wool ton has spoken of the fall in imports to Britain from producing countries'-. The' solution obviously is for the. producing countries to increase their exports to Britain. This may be achieved to some extent by rationing at. this end., but a more satisfactoiy approach to the problem, and one which wilt yield more permanent results, is to in-t crease production. Owing to a variety of reasons pVimary production in New Zealand shows a downward trend. If New Zealand is to meet her obligations both in the United Kingdom and in the Pacific battle areas, and. is to prepare to meet her post-war obligation to assist in the rehabilitation of the peoples of Europe, this trend must be cheeked. A greater degree of rationing than has yet obtained may be. necessary in the meantime, but the real £o:d must be greater production.

I Evening-up Sacrificc In Britain., as Sir Walter Lay ton lias said, tliere is an even distiibu« tion of foodstuffs. The; application of tills principle to the foodstuffs of the Empire would result in a more even distribution of sacrifice.. Speaking of wartime .social develop* ments Sir Walter Layton used the term ''equal itarianism," illustrated by the fact that the. King drew the. same rations as any of his subjects, and no wealth could buy oranges which were reserved for the young and tlie sick, it is not possible to apply similar "equalitarianism" between countries, as between individuals in the same country, but that should, lie the aim—through' voluntary action by the more fortunate countries.