FOOD-PEACE DOCTRINE

Chronicle (Levin), 12 August 1947, Page 8

FOOD-PEACE DOCTRINE

,-Press Association

ir. Nash Urges Skaring Of Supplies

By Telegraph

WELLINGTON, August 11. Any excess production which, ii placod on the market, would lower lts value, should be sent to the eountry badly lieeding it and any price offering should be taken. Tliis would increase the productivity of the people living in those areas and it would eventually be paid for. lnstead of some having a burdensome surplus, countries badly needing it would gain. ( This conteiition was advanced by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Xash, when addressing the Wellington braneh of United Natiom Association. The Minister emphasised tht necossity for those with plenty .oi food in the world to share it witli ihose who had not. He said the only way to avert war was b} giving the people enough to eat Proper distribution should ensure this. , "Many people have never had enough to eat," said Mr. Nash.

" Bei'ore the war ; J per cent oi the people in United States did not have the -full nutritional i'actors . tiecessary to life." Mr. Nash said food consumption j in Jndia had never been enough. The average number of years a i person living'" in New Zealand, i which had the higliest food con- ; suruption in the world, could ex- i peet to live was 68. The average : m India was 27. The infant mor ; tal.ty rate in India was vcry high and if a baby survived for oue year it could then expeet to live only to about 30 years. The great majority of the people living 011 rie-e lived 0T1 the edge of famine and, being badly fed, could not devote energy for production to a niaximum beeause they had not enough energy. The speaker compared the size of farms in New Z'ealand and China and said two people on t. New Zealand farm with westen equipment, could do as much as it look 28 people to do in China. If modern farming equipment wai introduced in China 26 people would be displaced on each farm of less than two acres and would be unemployed. The Food and Agrieultural Organisation had been trying to get over that majoi difficulty. Those 26' people would devote their energy to producing iiiore clothing and other item? vvliich the people in New Zealand t-ook for granted but which were short in China. China- could not pav for farming equipment theref'ore those in countries with equipment must send products withoul being paid for them. That, was the only way the world could be saved. Those living in Australia and New Zealand could not havf people only two days' journey away by air, living on half as l.uich food as they ate. £In New Zealand," he continu 1 ed, "we cannot keep 104,000 square miles for oue and a quarter million people when there are people in other parts of the world needing production from land as much as we do. The responsibib ity is all the .world '§ ta ^eghf land to i'ts maximuni; Acqeptnig •liat res])onsibility, we must see

that value from the land goes to other countries that need it or let them c'p.me and get it. Iiwe don't let them come they will in the long run."