THE SITUATION REVIEWED

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 76, 22 December 1917, Page 9

THE SITUATION REVIEWED

MR. LLOYD GEORGE ON THE OUTLOOK . I

GRAPPLING WITH THE FOOD PROBLEM

(Rec. December 21, 8.50 p.m.)

' London, December 20. Mr. Lloyd' George addressed a full sitting of the House on the naval and military situation. He first touchcd ori 'the food problem, which, lie said, two circumstances . aggravated —first, the failure to get'butter ind margarine from Denmark and Holland j and, second, the Allied food shortage was greater than lind been anticipated. Therefore Britain was compelled to sacrifice some of her own resources in order to supply her Mies. The responsibility. rested on those'possessing stocks of tea, margarine, .'and butter to ensure a" fair'distrilnftion of those Miiim"odities.' : The did not-mind the shortage so much as {Tie suspicion that others 'were getting more.! than their share. He hoped it would not be necessary to control the large multiple stores. If they took steps to secure oqiial distribution thero -would be'no need for queues and the discontent wnich they created. _ The food position was steadily improving, although they were unable to obtain adequate' labour or steel for shipbuilding. This was being remedied, and construction was increasing. It was- greater in 1917 than in the boom year of 1913. Since July our shipping losses had decreased steadily.; Our margin of loss was now narrow. The estimate of our shipbuilding programme had not been quite realised, although the tonnage was down twenty per cent., and the loss tonnage of imports six per cent., as compared with 1916. Thus we had really trappled with the most menacing situation with which we had 1 been confronted during the war. Practically the whole of the nation's shipping had been requisitioned. A Blue Book states that the sinkings of submarines are in°rCaMr'Lloyd George added: "An International Peace Congress must settle the fate of'the Gorman colonies, having regard to the wishes of the inhabitants themselves." —Aits.-N.Z. Cable Assn.