MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1918, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

THE FOOD PROBLEM. COMPULSORY RATIONING SCHEME. BRITAIN'S PRIVATIONS FAR LESS THAN GERMANY'S. Received Jan. 5, 1.15 a.m. London, •lan. 4. Lord Rhondda, when opening a communal kitchen at Silvertown, said there would inevitably be shortages of certain foods, but there was nothing alarming in the situation. It was only necessary to tighten our belts. Our privations were, nothing compared to Germany's, lie was afraid that Britain would have to adopt compulsory rationing, mil he hr.d nearly completed a xdieiue which would be put into operation after Cabinet sanction. THE MEAT SHORTAGE Received .Inn. 5, 1.30 a.m. I. olid oil, Jan. 4. Lord Rboiulda added [hat be hoped to further reduce the tea price. He appalled for patience regarding meat, whereof there would be a great shortage for (lie next fortnight, but thereafter tile supply would improve. The increased cost of essential foodstuffs was under s'vty per cent,, and had decreased by ten per cent, in the past six months. LABOR RECONSTRUCTION. EXTRAVAGANT PROPOSALS. Liu. L'G OF NATIONS WANTED.

London, Jan. 3. The Labor reconstruction report, ineludes a minimum wage of :>()s for a 4S-lwinr week; a levy on capita 1 to pay t lie national debt; an outlay of .CWO.fiOfl 000 upon .1 million new cottages; tlie progressive elimination of private capital, Hie State to l;e heir to< all private virile* except a quite moderate amount for tlie family; no protective tariff; and home rule throughout the Empire. ' Mr. Hendersoni in a me=sa«e tn Labor. demands a League of Xations as the first, step in the direction of creating a League of Peoples. The ultimate guarantee of peace lies in the repudiation of imperialistic policies by all peoples. The creation of a. league would be a firamntic declaration that the nations of the world form one familv. ■ NEW ZEALANDERS AT HOME. WELL LOOKED AFTER. Received .Jan. 4, 8.45 p.m. London, Jan. 3. Hie \ .M.C.A. officials declare that Mr. Jameson's speech at Christcliurch. in which he stated that nothing was done for New Zealanders, is absolutely incorrect. The men are. met at the stations and taken fo the Shakespeare But, near the British Museum, where .120 beds are provided. A programme of sight-seeing urni entertainment is arranged, and! meals are supplied, covering the whole period of leave. The London hostels accommodated 16,900 soldiers from all parts of thp Empire last week, and the same system prevails in tlto provinces. Mr. Jamieson must not expect the greatest city in the world to be like a Xew Zealand glade under tree ferns.

Sir E. R. Henry, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, declared that the spoerli w,\s ft gross exaggeration and fails to place the blame on the right shoulders. THE GERMAN COLONIES. PROTEST AGAINST THEIR RETURN. Tinies Sen-ice. Received Jan. 4, 8.40 p.m. London, Jan. 3. A public metting has been arranged to be hold at Westminster on the 10th irst., to protest against the return of the German colonies and to organise Allied opinion. REPRESSES?; PROFITEERING. London, Jan. 3. Many Glasgow 'butchers ih&ve ibeen heavily lined for selling meat over the fixed prices. SELFISH IRISH REBELS. London, Jan. 3. Count Plunkett- ia urging Irishmen to keep food for their own needs and not to permit England to rob them of any. PERSONNEL OF AIR COUNCIL. London, Jan. 3. Official.—The Air Council was established on January 3, and includes Lord Rothemere (president), Trenchard (Chief of the Air Staff), RearAdmiral Mark Kerr (Deputy Chief of the. Air -8«a-ff), and Sir William Weir (Director-General of Aircraft Production). FOOD HOARDERS FINE),. London, Jan. Magistrates heavily 'fined food hoarders. Lady Gore Langdon was fined £ SO. She had bought sufficient tea to last for a year. Marie Corelli was fined £7O.