BRITAIN HAS VERY SMALL FOOD RESERVES

Chronicle (Levin), 1 August 1947, Page 7

BRITAIN HAS VERY SMALL FOOD RESERVES

-press Association

By Telegravh

WELLINGTON, July 31. The president of Federated Farmers of NeWiZealand (Mr. W. W. Mulhollana) is still in London, and sent by airmail his comments on the position overseas for the information of the annual conference now being held in Wellingtcih: Dealing with the food - situation in Britain, Mr. Mulholland says: — \. • «•' "Something must he done to get international trade inovihg more freely, and the longer it is delayed the worse the situation with which it will have to deal. Right now Britain is facing difficulties which are causing her people a great deal of concern. • The food position at the moment is particularly difiicult— jthere is. no reserve of meat or dairy produce in store, as we learned immediately on our arrival. "We visited a cold store with a capaeity of about 10,000 tons, in which. there was Jess than 500 tons of coldstored produce altogether, and of the whole shipment of meat and dairy produce that came to Britain with us on the "Wairangi," we understand that not more than 500 tons went inta store, the rest being distributed for immediate consumption. "The cereai position is also very difiicult, not only in respect of the requirements for hunian consumption, but also for livestoek feeding. In consequence of the latter-, pig and poultry production lias been cut almost to the vanisliing point. KOcentlv, responsible spokesmen of the British Government have indicated the possibilitv of still further euts in certain supplies. "The severity of last winter in Britain has added c-onsiderably to the difiiculties, particularly in regard to meat and, to a lesser degree, dairy produce. ' 'The latest estimate is that the losses of sheep are rouud about 3,000,000 from a flock of 19,000,000, which though eonsiderably l£ss than at first estimated (4,000,000 to 5,000,000)-, is a disastrous loss. In so far as eattle are concerned, the lo.ss of flesh has been largely recovered by the generally good early summer couditions though with a con-1 siderable time lag. It is probable that the earlier estimated loss of 400,000 tons of Honie-prodyeed meat this year will not be realised, although it certainly will be more than half of that, which even at that is a very serious loss. 1 am sure that the sympathy of every farmer in New Zealand goes out to the British farniers in their difficulties. "So far as the people of Britain are | concerned, it can be said that no oue is really going hungry today, but that there is insufiicient of some varieties of food which are necessary for complete nutrition, and tha't, in consequence, people are deiinitely under-fed iii' regard to quaiity, if not in regard to quantitv. "Butter is very short. A good, healthy New Zealander would eat a week's butter ration for breakfast, and not feel that' he had performed any extraordinary feat. Sugar is also short, and 'iriflk is very short by • ' 1 our, -or" aiiy, f gtfiiidards, and it is rath-er sad that in(the middle of what should be the maxifnpm production season, there has! had fo he 'a reduction in the ratioh to two pints per person per week.