BRITISH FOODSTUFFS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 158, 4 June 1940, Page 8

BRITISH FOODSTUFFS

MORE TO BE HOME-GROWN. TRENDS IN AGRICULTURE. (United Press Association —By Electric , Telegrapn.—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 2. Mr R. S- Hudson (Minister of Agriculture), in a broadcast, outlined the many and drastic, proposals the Government intends to put into practice for increasing the- nation’s homegrown foodstuffs. Resulting from the German invasion of (Scandinavia and the increased necessity to conserve shipping "space for war materials, the amount of available feeding stuffs, said Mr Hudson, for which the United Kingdom largely depends upon imports would be reduced. Dairy herds would have the first consideration, next live stock, while supplies of feeding stuffs for pigs and poultry would be very limited indeed. Breeding and hatching would have to be immediately curtailed. As regards labour, agriculture had lost 70,000 men, and employers in other industries were being forbidden henceforth to take men at present in agriculture, but it was only fair to bring agricultural wages more into line with those obtaining in industry. Accordingly, a new minimum wage of 48s was being proposed But this wage increase would require that agricultural prices should rise, and Mr Hudson said that, together with the Minister of Food, he waii now working at the new prices. Mr Hudson concluded with an account of the various measuies he was proposing to take for direct expansion of home-grown agricultural produce. Mr Hudson said it was probable the Government would use thousands of conscientious objectors distributed in organised bodies and also make an immediate survey of the production capacity of 300,000 farms and the reclamation of derelict land. The Government would also appeal for 5000 recruits for the Women’s Land Army and- also 10,000 temporary farm ; assistants. Mr Hudson, in a broadcast to farmers, launched a big drive for food production and. said : “We are now forced to send our ships much further for the things we need, and also require them to . a greater extent for the carriage of munitions, and for this reason we must rely more and more on our own efforts.”