FEEDING AN ARMY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24424, 9 October 1940, Page 6

FEEDING AN ARMY

TASK OF SUPPLY HUGE PROVISION BILL ECONOMY AND QUALITY •From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Oct. 8. “An important part of the activities of the Ministry of Supply is to assist the Navy, Army, and Air Force Departments with the provision of food for the armed services,” stated the Minister of Supply (Mr D. G. Sullivan) in an interview to-day. It was of special interest, he said, to note that over £400,000 had been expended on these food purchases from September 1, 1939, to June 30, 1940. In that period the value of meat alone was £100,663, with the addition of £25,185 for canned meats and £14,875 for bacon and ham. The value of dairy produce, including butter, cheese, eggs, etc., purchased totalled £69,262, and the importance of fruit and vegetables had not been overlooked, purchases of fresh fruit in this period costing £53.396, and purchases of dried fruit to £BOI7, with the addition of canned fruit and vegetables to the value of £5821. Jams cost £17,086; beverages itea, coffee, cocoa), £21,810; cereals, £11,227; canned fish, £6717; and bread, cakes, and pastry, £21,519. These figures, said Mr Sullivan, covering a period of 10 months, showed the magnitude of the operations of the purchasing section, and now that the Dominion’s war effort was fully into its stride, the purchasing operations were on a greater scale than ever.

After outlining the methods adopted in the purchase of food, Mr Sullivan said that, with the co-operation of the Health Department and the Agriculture Department, an efficient system for the inspection of foodstuffs had been inaugurated, and the purchasing officers, being constantly in touch with the markets, were in a position to buy at the most economic prices. The greatest care, the Minister said, was taken in the spending of public money both from the point of economy and of the quality of the goods received by the armed services.