"A BELEAGUERED CITY."

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1917, Page 5

"A BELEAGUERED CITY."

MR. PROTHERO'S PLANS AND PRICES. HOW FOOD MINISTERS WILL WORK 'TOGETHER. An important statement by Mr. Prothero, the new Minister of Agriculture, made in Parliament on Wednesday, December 20, is really an addition to Mr. Lloyd George's explanation of National Service. Mr. Lloyd George said that every man must work or fight. Mr. Prothero shows that the most vital war work next to munitions is the production of food at home. Food is short. Great Britain is a "beleaguered city." "The war may be won or lost in our corn and potato fields." Wheat for next year will be fixed at 60s, and potatoes and other crops will also have fixed prices. Sixty-shil-ling wheat should mean a ninepenny (instead of the present lOJd) loaf after the next harvest. "I admit that war needs must to a certain extent be paramount, yet I do think that we ought to realise—that the Wai Office ought to realise and that the whole country ought to realise—that we are a beleaguered city. ... It 'may be that it is on the cornfields and the potato lands of this country that victory in this great war may be lost or won." These are two striking sentences from Mr. Prothero's strong speech. RELATIONS WITH FOOD CONTROLLER, The new President's close relation with the Food Controller in regard to their powers over the production of food at home gave rise to the debate. It was pointed out that food control and food production are not precisely alike, and it was suggested that friction might arise if the Controller had any jurisdiction over production. The new arrangement was vigorously supported by Mr. George Lambert, representative of a large agricultural constituency in Devonshire. Instead of doubling our food supply, he said, we should produce only three-fifths of the normal because of the lack of labor, "If we don't mind there will be famine stalking through the land in the months of May and June. I see it very clearly comi ing, with the submarine menace, which [ is growing daily more menacing, with the lessened food production here, and with the partial failure ef the harvests abroad." MR. PROTHERO'S TOWERS. Mr. Prothero said he had realised from the start that a conflict of jurisdiction might arise, and so he took the first opportunity of meeting the new Food Controller. "We met, we had a talk, and we arrived at certain conclusions," he continued. "The Controller said, 'Put that into writing/ and that is our charter.. I put the arrangement down. It is four tines only; it quite clearly defines my position; it gives me all the power I want; and it enables me to use the great powers which are conferred on the Food Controtter for the improvement of agriculture.

"I dare say some might say it was a sacrifice of official dignitv, but I would rather stand on something more sub"stantial than my official dignity, (Laughter and cheers). My position is this—in every matter affecting the production of food the Food Controller is bound to act on my advice. If the Food Controller does not act on my advice we ,;o to the War Council, and if I go to the War Council on a point of technical agriculture I have no doubt the War Council would uphold me as against the Food Controller." (Laughter). Labor was the key to the question: The new Secretary-of State for War (Lord Derby) was an agriculturist a nan who knew farmers and farmers' ways, and it was hoped that he would do everything we could for agriculture. Already it had been decided that none )f the men to be called up from' agriculture on January 1 should he called Up tftl the census arangemonts (the cen;ns that is being taken of men on each ''arm and its production) were complete. That to something, but from the farmers' point of view it was nothing near "IlOllgll.