COMMONS TO DISCUSS FOOD SITUATION

Chronicle (Levin), 31 May 1946, Page 5

COMMONS TO DISCUSS FOOD SITUATION

MORE ABOUT MR. MORRISON'S U.S.A. VISIT Received Thursdav, 7 p.m. LONDON, .May 29. The Goverunumt lias agreed to the J Oppositiou's request for a full f ood j debate in the Comnions on May 31. The various misunderstandings which had arisen hetween the P»ritish and tlie Cnited States (lovernments on tlie re- j cent food agreement had heen caused , hy cahled Press messages of his state- ! ment in the llouse of Comnions lieing jmhlished in America hefore the oflieial i text had heen received in Washington, said Mr. Alorrison in a statement in tlie llouse of Comnions. Ile aihled that he had since eomniunicated with tlie Fnited States Secretaiy of State (Mr. Byrnes) and was glad to he ahle to say on Itis authority that there had uever heen any mis- 1 understanding Itetween them on whai j they had agreed to. Alr. Morrison, replying to AUA Churchill, e\])lained that it would not have heen practieable to niake an exchange of conlinnatory documeuts with- 1 out delaying tlie inforniing of the! llouse of Comnions. "It is a pit-y that a suhordinate oflieial of tlie I'uited States — a publie j relations ortlcer — should have inter-j vened," Alr. Morrison added. "The (iovernnient has made representations on that point, and the Fnited States Secretarv of State has expressed regret on helialf of the American Goverumeut." Alr. Churcliill ohserved that the matter had heen closed in a satisfaetory manner, hut the misunderstaiiding he- { tueen Alr. Morrison and Ihe llouse of j ( 'onniibns reniained. Alr. Morrison: You don 't nnderstand ! the norma l procedure in tliese things. ( Laughter.) Mr. Churcliill: That is ilue to liiv inexperience. (Renewed laughter.) Alr. Churchill said the llouse of Comnions had heen tohi of tlie great sacrilice hy Britain of 200,000 tons oi", wheat. "Weren't tve assured in return that tlie Fnited States Government ! was associating itself uureservedly in j the task of snpplying lndia and the Brit'isli Zone in (leniiany."' he asked. Tlie latter part of the agreenient had heen whittled away, hut Britain 's sacrilice of 200,000 tons of wheat reniained. Alr. .Morrison, after declaring that Alr. Churchill was trying to niake political capital out of the niisunderstanding, added: "The Fnited States Government is associating itself witli us to Ihe maxiniuni exteut within its availahle resourees, and has thus iastructed ils Food Board representatives. Tlie statement did not say or niean that the Fnited States said that wheat would come from a particular place and go to a particular jilace. " Alr. Hudson inter jected: It won't come from tlie Fnited States. Alr. .Morrison replied that tlie former Alinister of Agriculture would he disajtpointed to learn that some of it was actually on the niove l'rom the Fnited States.