THE FOOD QUESTION IN FRANCE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 209, 23 May 1918, Page 5

THE FOOD QUESTION IN FRANCE

CHAT WITH.THE FRENCH CONTROLLER. (By .lohn Bell, in tho London ••Daily News"). What France is doing to decrease the . consumption and increase tho production • of food has been explained to me by M. Victor Boret, tho Minister of Revictualling and Agriculture. Tho French Lord . Rhondda is one of tho busiest men in France. . Ho works nineteen hours every day, and remains cheerful under the strain, thanks to his vigorous- constitution, built up, ho tells mo, by athletio pursuits. Wo discussed the effort that Franco will make this year to increase her crops. • "I shall raise the price of wheat consider- • ably," tho Minister told me. "For other cereals tho price will bo increased, but in. a less proportion. Of course, these plans will have- to be sanctioned by Parliament, hut I feel certain that Parliament will not withhold its consent, because every deputy knows the conditions existing in his constituency." , . Meat is not rationed in Franco as m. England. "The reason why thero is so much meat in tho market," said M. Victor Boret, "is because our farmers havo not enough hay and oats to feed thoir unimnls, and they aro killed. It would havo been an act of 6tupidity on my part to limit the consumption of neat and allow tho animals to dio in their stalls. With more grass in the meadows tho animals will not require so much ot other food. Thorefore fewer will bo killed, and'there will consequently be a reduced consumption of meat. ' "How can I reduce tho consumption ot meat?" M. Victor Boret continued, "Youi must remember that French peoplo mist lie managed in a different way from English and German. Tho German obeys because ho fears authority. Thei Englishman obeys out of conscience. Whoa tho outhoritics in England say: 'i-ou must do something,' tho Englishman replies, l\ must do it; 1 shall do it. And ho does-, it. Tho Frenchman's reply is: J. his is j humbug. The authorities want to dis-; turb our habits. That is not necessary. , /V Frenchman always criticises. He is, full of spirit and ingenuousness, and. tries to avoid tho regulations. My duty,; therefore, first of all, is to look at the matter from a psychological point oil view, and then to adopt tl» vigorous j "'"I havo 'ixplained tho situation to the people. I have appealed to their patriot-: ism to their spiriWf voluntary sacrifice., And I keep on appealing unti the) got, isod to the idea tW they will have to; So sacrifices, ■'Oaf then make their; own arrangements, so that whdn the; vigorous metho'd."is .put into operation, everyone is ready. : Trades aro not afreetcd, because every tradesman has had time to adapt his business to tho aocw- ; s ies of the war and of public order. I an preparing a note for the . resbunar' te"r8 P ali«g thcni to serve their custom-, era with half portions of meat rt that So food shall 1)0 left on pla es. . I.shaft, make this appeal to thorn in tho interests of tho future of our .herds.