The Dominion. FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 1914. FOOD SUPPLIES IN WAR TIME

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2222, 7 August 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 1914. FOOD SUPPLIES IN WAR TIME

The? maintenance of an adequate food supply in time of war is one of the most pressing problems of belligerent nations. The fighting forces must bo. fed,' and the general population cannot be allowed,to starve. Starvation means, surrender." As far as.Britain is concerned there is a vital connection between her Navy and her food supplies. ' The 1 food of her people is drawn from all parts of the earth, and her statesmen and war leaders have always recognised that the protection of her commerce is a matter of life and death importance. This'question'-is now receiving the attention of-the British' Go- " the Chancellor of the Exchequer having informed "the House of Commons that he intends shortly to submit a scheme dealing with it. It is not the Mother Country alone that is concerned in the safety of the tra-de routes. It is a, matter that affects the prosperity of' the whole Empire, for Britain is the best customer of : the Overseas Dominions —and this- is overwhelmingly the case as regards New Zealand. It is urgently necessary, both for the wellbeing of this Dominion ' and the Motherland, that the trade connection between the! two countries should be'maintained with as much regularity as possible. : As long as Britain rules the seas, her people cannot be starved into submission, th6ugh.itis inevitable that all ocean trado must be greatly disorganised in times of. war. The commerce of,the British Empire must suffer severely in the "way of delay, uncertainty and possible seizure of, our : merchantmen But Britain needs our butter and cheese, our meat,' and our wool, and measures will be taken to see that such supplies arrive safely at their destination. Oitf overseas trade cannot bo expected to. go on as uninterruptedly as. when the-Empire is at peace;'but that of our enemies will practically bo annihilated—pro.video always that our fleets maintain control of the se£s. 'The words embodied in the Natval Discipline Act wove never more:true than they are this moment: • •'On the Navy, under the good. Proyidence of God, our wealth, ' prosperity, and peace depend." ' Though Germany i<s not so dependent upon outside soujxes for her food Supplies as Britain is, she will-find more difficulty than .'France or Russia in feeding her pppuktioh, hi

long as Britain's sea power, is unshaken, the ports of France will remain open, and her.shipping trade will continue. This is a tremendous help, and puts Germany at a great disadvantage, for German overseas trade will simply cease to exist out-, side the Baltic Sea. Britain's trade will bo subjected to a certain amount of delay, risk, and inconvenience, but as long as sho holds command of the sea the bulk of her commerce will ho maintained. Admiral Mahan has estimated that duringthe whole .of the war of the French Revolution and Empire the direct loss to England by the operation of hostile cruisers did not exceed 2$ per cent, of the commerce of tho British Empire; and that this loss was partly made good by the prize ships and' merchandise taken by its own naval, vessels and privateers. But Mn. Thukspield tells us that the Royal Commission on Food' Supply was of opinion that 4 per cent, would be a more accurate estimate. "It is also well known that; during the same period the maritime commerce .of England was doubled in volume, while that of France was annihilated." Mr. Thursfield holds that the risks run. in war 'by commerce afloat are measured very exactly by the degree in which the flag which covers it has secured the command of -the sea—that is the of the maritime' communications- affected. The same writer further states that of. two belligerents in a naval war, that one which establishes and maintains an effective command of the sea will be absolute master ■of the maritimo commerce of .the other, while his own maritime commerce, though not entirely im-' mune, will suffer no such decisive losses as will determine, or even materially af-. feet, the course- and issue of the war; and that he may, indeed, emerge from the war. much stronger and more prosperous than he was at the beginning. The present European war brings home to us with; impressive emphasis the absolutely vital importance of having'a fleet sufficiently strong to protect our commerce, and to defeat the sea forces .of any other nation or probable combination of hostile Powers. We are, of course', deeply interested in. the, doings of-our friends'and foes on the European Continent; but we are far more'concerned with what is happening, in the North Sea. ' Even now the. two most powerful navies the world, has ever seen may be at grips, and news may come at any .'moment of-a stupendous battle,:. Tho Imperial Government has • assured the British' Parliament that our fleets are ready for the supreme test of war. .We know that our cause'is just, and we have every confidence in our ships and the men that man them. ;'