FOOD CONDITIONS IN EUROPE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 185, 1 May 1919, Page 5

FOOD CONDITIONS IN EUROPE

' 0 . DEARTH OF TONNAGE SIR JOHN BEALE'S WARNING Sir John Beale, who has resigned his position as British representative on the various inter-Allied organisations for tho distribution of food, returned recently to ■lwdon from Paris, where'- he has taken an active part in the setting up of the faupreme Economic Council ■ As■ chairman of the Wheat Executive, bir John, organised tho bread supplies of lireat Britain, Prance, and Italy, und for many of the neutral countries during thb most critical -period.of the German situmarine activity. In the autumn of 1913 no became chairman of the .Committee of Representatives .of ,tho Allied Fcod Council, and First Secretary to the Ministry of Food, and the latter post be continued to..hold until he was appointed with lord Reading to represent Great Britain on the Allied Supreme Council of Supply and Relief, Sir John was ' iMgely responsible for tho formation of the newly created Supreme' Economic Council. .•. ' . a representative of "The Times" Sir John stated that the'problem of providing:re!ief supplies in Europe was one of very, considerable difficulty. For some time, after the signing of the anr-Jstico .it was an arduous task to er-cure sound information as to the state of food stocks and means'of distribution in the various liberated and enemy countries, Reports were now, however,- coming though freely, and all pointed to difficulty of distribution and. great and rapidly "increasing distress practically throughout the whole of. South-Eastern Europe. - ; , British Aid for Italy. ■ The conditions are so bajj- that it will , Oβ extremely difficult for tho victorious - ,nations to prevont widespread famine both in South-Eastern Europe and in Germany, even if the'most vigorous measure are immediately adopted. The condition of Poland is no better, despite *he iact that the financial aspect-of the situation had improved' owing to substantial grants, having been made bv America and Great Britain, which are likely to bo supplemented.by the provision of funds by France and Italy., Financial relief is undoubtedly available for easing the position, ,but it has become !.bundantlj evident that there' is "not sufficient shipping available , under present conditions to Eβoure adequate deliveries l of food stocks to t the countries affected at a sufficiently early date. Great, Britain is still left with the burden which she shouldered so fully ' .throughout the last years of the war of •aiding France and Italy to~ secure their supplies out of .her.-own- shipping resources. She has now littloftc ipare for relief purposes.. At the present time tho position -.with regard to arrivals by ships) . both of food supply and coal, into Italy gives the greatest cause for anxiety and calls for vigorous effort if grave troubles' are to- be avoided in that country The Ministry.- of, Shipping .authorities are,fully alive to the seriousness of the situation, and are'endeavouring to proV d VA re V, ed ?- Thou ? h thev will no' . doubt > able to rectify the Italian-posi-tion, it seems clear that it will be impossible for them'to make any, srbstantial volume'of tonnage available for other relief purposes. It appears to bo evi- . dent, therefore, that the only possibility or increasing arrivals to such an extent as to avoid disaster lies in the American Mapping Board greatly increasing' the ••Jiumber of-American : ships used for* relief purposes. , ■-.•Since America does not ..■take a large share in assisting the European;_ Allies with tonnage, it -has been possible, -under Mr.' Hoover's able guid- • ance, _for that country:.to" arrange atonce • for a .substantial. volume of shipping -to-bring, relief .supplies-to'.Europe, .tint as .new construction is proretdin" in America-with great rapidity !; iid the bulk of the supplies■■ must-.-wine.Mm that country, it. is'reasonable k> hope that they. mny do. even .more. Since Mr. .Hoover has reported the extreme uri-c-ncy of the need, it, is certain that the American nation will riso to* the .'occveion and provide , the Shipping, at ivl-atever cost,.-once .they.-fully: understand that -Great Britain,Jias-really eefr aside ,shlp- ■ ping for the assistance of her Allies and the_ provision of relief to the utmost limit of :her capacity. It is'a roottei of real urgency for .the true liosition'to be fully understood and-acted upon at orce. The most vigorous notion twnot r,re\en't distress from reaching.an intense;level, but should there be. even a few weeks' further delay in setting Jhe flow pf food supply in motion in a constant and greatly increased stream, it is a foregone conclusion that before the extra food arrives the conditions become so seri-°-}!i nFI -t° render distribution extremely difficult, if not iriipossible. In this event , ' . the death roll due to the war will be increased to an appalling extent. Causes of Dearth of tonnage, '

.Asked to,,explain why tonnage was so ehort when it ivas, announced officially not long ago. that-sufficient would be available for all reasonable needs,-Sir John Bealo stated that conditions had changed'unexpectedly and witn great rapidity,, and it was desirable that thW fact should bo fully appreciated on'both Bides of. the Atlantic end■..the.necessary changes made in Government policy. The prinoipal cause of the present shortage of tonnage wag the natural slackening of effort on the part of'workmen throughput the world, :with the result that loading and unloading were' delayed to an extraordinary extent, causing serious congestion in practically'every port\in the world, while' the.,average time taken in turning round ships had been enormously increased.. Many vessels had been placed back on the longeiMoutes, while ships had been sent in for small repairs, overhaul, and other work which in war time

.would-hare: been.-postponed for an indefinite . period. Neutral ships had. been released from control, and unexpected delay had occurred' in making enemy ehips • available. Relaxation of control

had proceeded a considerable distance both in relation to shipping and commodities/and although in theory the Ministry of Shipping had not parted with the full right to direct shipping.to the most, important channels, still it was certain , that the freeing of vessels could not have proceeded to its present length if the existing shortage had been foreseen. It seems necessary, therefore, thai: both in Britain and in' other countries Iho shipping situation should be carefully looked into with a'view to eoeing how. far the proces? of feleasing from control can' lie. checked oi' revised with advantage.