THE DESTRUCTION OF FOOD.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 249, 9 February 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE DESTRUCTION OF FOOD.

Oil MANUFACTURE OP ALCOHOL.

By DR. C. W. SALEEIIY NVaily two yt.us ago, under the titleof " Bread or M nisky ? and neailj a \ ear a (f o under that of Ihe sugarBee t Scandal," I urged the importance of a question which is l rapid'.y becoming essential to any victory in the held. Hero are the fact;. The sunlight, falling on the green hiif, enables it to snatch carbon from tho carbonic, acid of the air, and to make, with water flora th'o soil, the c rliolivuralcs, called starch and sugar. These contain the energy of the sunlight. and are most precious foods. If decomposed, so that much of the energy is lost as carbonic ac:d —with which the plant began—the product is alcohol. Till slie-stance is tho priceless source ol high explosive?, of anaesthetics and .lyes, a solvent for shellac to varnish sIkIIs, and so forth without end. It is, noxt to water, the most valuable chemical in tho 'world. Our dilemma, and Germany's, is that we both urgently need alcohol, in order to live and win the war. Without e ; ther, the nation so deprived must surrender forthwith; but io make ahobol is to destroy 100d —the manufacture of alcohol is the destruction of food. OCR DISDAIN OK CHEMISTRY. Tn Germany the case is so desperate that, while the cl<'struftioii of food to make alcoholic drinks has now been cut down to a ininimiini, and wiM soon have 'o be stopped altogether, they are a't.iallv at work constructing alcohol out of ils elements, at great, expon* • and with ( xlivmo difficulty. on the line-- uh'ch ! iu-v have learnt, like practically ovt rytlrng which they now light with, liom I' i: 1 nco. W,- are not doing this hcre because our governing classes aiv as igmaaiit as dirt of chemistry, uliieh the.v vere taught, at vast expelie, to eail si inks," and as to which (heir all it ml • •> tli,'it of the I''nun h l{evoliit : oni--t t -. v. ho gr il'i.l ine | I 'ivoisier. th - diseoviri r of 11xy gt n, sayinir, "The Republic h'"< le- n."e I of < hf-rilM' T ie I? public has -■inc.- laid all mankind in ii . d"ht by !-i':.'flii"iug Past-nr ami IVrthclot. But (■lie olher ilav, u hen the hiiinil'uio cle niii,;! coinmon.pl.ice wa-; it dinti e llioi-,' t.f Commons tlv>t alcih. l wis hern" t eile liom pointers for the M : ni--t-r\ of Munition*, it u re e : vcd with i'iof I*'ngliicr . i;eh e 1111aint ami f osiird idea! Tie* Gorman . and onrm■ I\.■'. li.neb. en de-troying the native-

of Africa with Hamburg potato spirit tor decades. , . , . Since to inaku alcohol is to destroy food, such countries as Kussia and Canada have largelv prohibited «uch manufacture as a war economy, except, ot course, for war purposes. Yet these anthe granaries of the world, which pi>>ijuro enormous excess of food and which need fenr no German submarines, nor (jiicstions of tonnage. \\ a in England mport four loaves, and mere, out ol five, but what have we doner' \\ hi> ky msut not bo consumed for tlireo je.us otter its making. Wo have enough whisky in the country now for six years consumption, and are daiTy destroying food to make more, which may not be lonsiuned for three years. A\ liis.iy foi six years and bread lor fewer weeiis; and wherever you go in the train gra~s oil either hand"-a disgja eful Do wo deserve to win this or any war.' It the submarine menace continued to in crease, and we liad to give in, we should ;,o precise Iv in the case lyinglv attributed to the Russians by tha German cartoon, at the beginning of the war, showin" 1 a peasant choking to dentil in a swamp above" which ho was still holding a vodka Wfle. An things are going tiio cap may soon fit us—but die liussiaiis never, so that, whatever happens to us. at least Germany and .Murder will not win.

Meanwhile. in one and the suite eoli.mu of ;i morning ewspapor is ail aeci.iuit ol' the slaughter of a -tiglor by a young soldier of I", intoxicated in a (aiueeii, and the complaint of a. Sr.it"sh distiller tL.it. "an average whisky could not now lie manufactured and b<>ld except at a high prit e . Could efi'i'ont(i-.' timber go.

I'llF, (jIII!AT NEED OF SI'GAK. ! 11l ordi lh.it we may cat t>» live and win, oilers are bring made against the dostruction of tood. Food is now being destroyed i'l order t<> produce, not loss than three ye*irs ahead, su< h results as t.1.0 past de-truetion of food is daily he.. | •iitr recorded to produce. Meanwhile! tiic supplies of the essential food, suga'', i Mil inaccessible for eh'ldren and muni- ( tun woikors, and are <|uit-e inadequate .'or our soldii.rs, lioeauso the brewers' and di-tilleis, who exist by the de^trir 1 - j lion of ford, have the first- caK upon , lonnago. Mr. Arthur Meo is fullv • ii-t----ihed in his remarks about the V .M.('.A. I and the brewers. Without the Y.M.C.A. j i;..i one ran dare to thuik where we i should liavo been. 1 personally to-lily i lo the I'cet. t!;-'.-t.. cn the ,if a ; ItM-t.ii■ o of mine to nitin tion work- r-. I under the Hoard of Fdicai-iuii. I found | tii.it, the men making forcings for ! ;e.i\ y .shells, of all urgent lie: osil i'*s, -, v.cr.i comp M <1 to go without, -tigar in

their tea and coffee at the Y.M.C.A. hut, which had been hastily put there in order to light the puh.ic-houscs, which were the sole means, not of re s l or recreation, but food supply, for these men. Yet every physiologist knows that sugar is the essential lood of heart and muscles, and practically every firsttat physiologist in Britain has signed a. memorial for prohibition during the war.

The brewers and distillers rule the House of Commons. Mr. Runeiman had lo go, cap in hand, to the Brewers' Society for their consent to brew a littV loss beer . An article of m no on food economy, reprinted officially and by my ieave, appeared with a brief reference to the King's pledge deleted. 1 must not bo allowed, under an official aegis, to say that his Majesty's pledge is economy of food, for that would ' V 'ueaking the party truce. Only now ha* un official p-»tor oil the subject been issued. I have latc-'y taken ii. to Lancaster. Manchester, Keigli'ev, in none of which had it been seen. But women are not to buy expensive veils: while we aro destroying food in millions of tons. What are people like nty.vlf. not politicians of quv party, to think of, say. honourable and patriotic men like Mr. bonar Law, to say nothing of the ruck ot politicians, when we remember the political destruction of the King's effort til the spring of 191-5, and the destruction of food now, for whiskv to be drunic •n lil-.Q?