MEATLESS MEALS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 249, 9 July 1918, Page 7

MEATLESS MEALS

IN BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND ITALY SOME HIGH PRICES (From tho Melbourne "Age" CorrespuiulpnL.) London, May 7. The food shortage from which every country m J-liiropu is sufVurinif is nalurallv more pronounced in the bell iterant countries than the neutrals. It is a great deal more severe among our enemies Ulan anion;; our Allies, lint every month of war increases the diUicullii's of the Allied Governments in pruviding food for their peoples. To soma extent tlie shipping rcsonre.es ot Great llritain, France, and Italy have been pooled, no that each may receive a proportionate share of the food supplies which the United States and other countries are sending to Uuropc. .this means that Ureal Britain, winch had helped hev Allies with money to carry on tiic war, is also providing them will} ships out of her diminished tonnage. Ana in order that adequate tonnage may be available for transporting American troops across tlio Atlantic, at an. neccte'afed rate, lo meet tho demands ('line critical military situation, Great Britain has recently drawn upou the wheat ieservc she. had stored during the war, ami has sent wheat to France and Ita y. AS a result the bread which the British nation is eating is a far less wholesome article than was the case a few months n"0. The Government has taken over the control of the Hour mills, and therefore tho Hour supplied lo tho bakera is of moro or l<*a uniform quality throughout tho country. The pure wheaten flour has gone for the duration of the war. The article turned out by tho mills contains 10 per cent, of maize, oats, or other cereal, and the baker; havo been urged by tho Government tc add 10 per cent, of potato Hour in the broad they make. So far the British Government lias, succeeded in evading tu< rationing of bread. Jt is with Ihe object of keeping bread unrahoned that tin bakers aro being, urged to use jiotatc Hour. Hut (he wheat position ot Ureal Britain is very serious, and if is exI remedy probable that before the next harvest; (September) bread will have If be rationed. , Great Britain, France, and Italy "» each suficring from a shortage ot meal but only in Great Britain is meat i"v tioncd. Franco and Italy aim a. mine ing consumption by high prices and thf institution of meatless days. In Ureal Britain there aro two meatless days t week, but those apply cnly. to lestnurantt and hotels. For the householder then are no compulsory meatless days, but tn< meat ration allowed lo each iiHiivulua is fo small that everyone lias three, oi Join meatless days each week. .i his an plies also to persons who live at ho el: or take their meals at restaurants. Ui< institution of meatless days lor Uies< places merely means that on two day: a week no meat dishes can bo .-erved Tho hotels and restaurants are ratronci in their meat supplies, and havo to pio duco the meat coupons of their customers for each meat meal served. . W U present every person in Great I n lain over the age of live years is intitlei to a weekly allowance of lOd. worth ol fresh meat, which is represented by t«i coupons attached to the meat card Witt which everyono is supplied, iwu otiici coupons enable a weekly purciK.se t>, bacon, poultry, game, or tinned meats ti be made. Manual workers and boys be twceii thirteen mid eighteen years hav< three of these bacon coupons. But lo the average person tho weekly alhwvnci is about Sou. of butchers meat anil .Ooz of bacon. Tins ailowanco woks ..crj meagre, but in actual practice it is loi.iu sullicient for the requirements of an aver age person. Very few complaints wi regard to the meat allowance haio beoi made. , . ~ , T ,„;i„: r Tho shortage of meat in drrac hiH.w has been caused by the reduction, ir-nr ports owing to Ihe shortage ot B hippm and bv the increased meat eonsmnplim of tWmillionsol'nien 111 the Aimv. Ji peace-time the British cousnmpon 0. meat was about 31b. per head per wee compared with Ijlb. in Irancc and lib in Italy. But tlio field army ration toi tho millions of men in the ]->.|m. Arm; is 71b. of meat per week Willi U». 0 Won The ration for the men in tin :hnrar,nyis^bofmeatandUo.o bacon. But on the part ot «!«■■ ff" population of Great Britain vmi. s n complaint that tho army meat rat urn are too large. The civilian pop.ilatioi ue dotemined that the food s'lorlag, ill not extend lo the men who a olfcring their lives in tne cause ot the, country. ~ . ~.„„] In France the Iwo in cat > « »jck lv are to be iiicteascd to c<lne=, day Thursdays, and Fridays. Ihe tali o?evi kimUf - lioultrv or gamo on theso oajs wil lit o° bitten, but the sale of h*™™%.» shops exclusively supplying that aitic willbe permittedL It is lo prevent pe nlo buying sufficient supplies ol 1 est meat to last them over meatless day that theso days have been made eonse cutive. To some extent this will be 1.1 feet ve, lor the French system ot cook ins nbhors tl» English sysiein 0 big joint, which reappears on the tab! until it is finished. As a im;her el on the meat supplies in Fran. •■• the nun her of cattle sent to the abattoirs w 1 bo limited, and the auntt.„,-s will bi closed on Tuesdays, Wednc-days am Thursdays. If the consumption ot mea. is not reduced by these means the Irencl Government will ration meat by nieain of cards and coupons, ,as is done 11 Great Brilaiu. . The Italian Government has issued : decree fixing Wednesday, Thursday, am Friday of each week as meatless days On (hose days no beef or pork-fresh 01 tinned-must he sold or eaten. Oi Thursday and Friday the sale and con sumption of mutton, lamb, goat's am kids' ilesh are forbidden. The butch er's shops will eluso from 1 (('clock 01 Tuesdays until Saturday morning. Ham bacon, and salt pork may be sold 01 Ihe meal less days, and "oll'ai" ot al kinds, but not sausages or trotters. Thi sale of poultry is to be limited lo threi days a wcelt, to be fixed by the local an thoiitics in each district. In hotels nut restaurants no meat of any kind can bi served on meatless days, with the exeep tiou of "offal" and rabbil. . Although meat prices in Great Britaii havo advauced about 100 per cent, sinci tho war began, the present prices an considerably lower than in France am Italy. This is duo mainly to the fact that in Great Britain cattle prices am meat prices have been fixed by tho Foot Controller. .In Franco and Italy tin public is still being victimised by tin proliteors. Tho following are fixed retail prices ii Great Britain:—Beef: ,Sirloin. Is. 7d per lb; top side of round, Is. Sd.; runi| steak, 2s. 2d.; tup side (boneless), Is 10d.; Hank, best cut, Is. Sd.; gravy beef Is. Id.; minced meal, Is. lid.; suet. Is. Od Mutton: Log, Is. 7d.; shoulder. Is. fid. loin, Is. ail. to Is. Sd.; loin chops, 1111 trimmed. Is. JOd. Fork: Leg, Is. (id. loin, Is. 7d. lo Is. M.; chops, Is. 10d. In France, one result of tho fact lha ! meat prices aro not controlled is thai (hey vary greatly in different towns am districts. According to information col lecied bv the "Petit Journal," Paris from nineteen of the largest towns, tin price of beef for pot an feu (tho ua tional dish of lioilrd beef and vegetables' is Its. per lb. in Bordeaux, but only Is ;id. per lb. in Havre. On the othei hand, tho prices of mutton and pari aro higher in Havro than any or tin other eighteen towns. Mutton is :)s. 5d per lb. and pork cutlets 3s, Gil. at Havro but at 'Grenoble mutton is 2s„ and a I Nantes pork cutlets are 2s. 2d. In l'nrn ft log of mutton costs lis. Id. per lb. rump steak 4s. 2d., fillet of beef as. veal Is. 2d., pork lis. Id., and .streakei bacon ss. per 11). In Home beef costs from -U. to Os. pe, lb. veal from Is. (id. to Gs., and ban and bacon (Is. In the wholesale mea market at Borne beef realises ,Cl 2 to .11, per cwt. Ju the country districts 0. Italy the piices of meat are lower thai in l'iome, but everywhere (hey are mucl higher than before the war.