MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 January 1918, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

: COMPULSORY RATIONING. FOSTERING AGRICULTURE. '- London. Jan. 25. Lord Rhoodda, speaking at the Mansion House, announced that meat would also be rationed from February 25. Compulsory rationing wa* inevitable and urgent. The whole country would short - ' ly be governed by rationing schemes, ' which would be developed into a national ' system. He proposed to fix a fair share of meat, margarine, and tea for each district and t» see that they were supplied according to the necessities. He ' proposed to start with a level ration of meat for adults and half that ration for children under six. There was no ground

for the suspicion that well-to-do people 1 were getting more than the workers. In the House of Commons Sir Auck- ' land fiwldes, winding up the debate, said , the Government intended to make the ntmoat .jpoggilile use of the home forces, for agtirulturai and similar purposes. The fnpst anxious problem of the moment was not supplying men for the army but the production of food. .. OiiS ifOUND A WEEK FOR ADULTS. Received Jan. 22, 5.5 p.m. London. Jan. 26. Jt is understood that the London and ' Rome Counties ration scheme allows weekly :a pqnnd of meat for each adult an<J eight ounces for children under six . years. , COMMANDEERING FOODSTUFFS. i London. Jan. 25. Lord Rhondda i* shortly issuing an order empowering local food committee? to commandeer other foodstuffs in addi- ' t'wtt to margarine. FOSTERING BRITISH TRADE -.. CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH. ADVifiCATED BX LABOR CONFERENCE. Reuter Service. Received Jan. 27, 5.5 p.m. • ':•> London, Jan. 28. In tlje H«Hi*e of Commons. Mr. T. E. Wing, a labor member, suggested that experienced commercial travellers should be appointed as commercial attaches to British embassies. St. 'Steel Maitland replied that a Select Committee was considering appointments to British embassies and legations on the commercial side of the diplomatic and consular service. The Labor Conference at Nottingham considered a motion demanding the withdrawal of the Military Service Acts immediately afier the war, and favoring the conscription of wealth in order to par v r eagienses. It also passed a resolution urging the Government, in view ?f the grave danger of a world famine, ... -to ettabli_h equal food distribution, eliminate profiteering, and insist on an equality of sacrifice by all classes.

NEW MAN-POWER SCHEME. THE FTRST COMBIXG OUT. ■Received Jan. 27, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 26. The first clear-out in connection with the man power policy operates on FebTuaiy 1. It combs out from the general services all men under 24 years of age. London, Jan. 25. Sir Auckland Geddes, in the House of Commons, said he emphatically refused to negotiate with the engineers separately. He also said that the other negotiations for a comb-out were supposed to 'have been maSde at a hole and teener conference, whereas all the unions, , (artisipated iu the 1916 .agreement. » PORT OF LONDON. C&O6I.V'G jpOTCTALLY DENIED. i London, Jan. 25. A deputation' of London members of tHerflnuse of Commons interviewed the Sujpfaig Controller to-day with reference to toe report that the Port of London wag to be, closed to merchant shipping, and pointed out that this would be the cause of avast dislocation of labor and trade. ' !A. and N.Z. Ca/ble Assoc and Eeuter. Received Jan. 27, 5a p.m. London, Jan. 26. The Bress Bureau reports that the etarag' of the (Port of London is officially A LABOR ftBMG»ATiaN, Hh<i<3eojjge Roberts has resigned from

RELYING ON AMERICA FOR WHEAT. AN URGENT REQUEST FOR MORE. AMERICA WILL NOT'FAIL,BRITAIN. Received Jan. 27, 5.5 p.m. Washington, .lan. 26. Lord Rhondda, on behalf of the Anglo' Freneh and Italian Governments, cabled Mr. Hoover as follows: l T nlcss you are able to send seventy-five million bushels of wheat above what you'have exported up to February 1, irrespective of Canadian exports, f cannot take the responsibility of assuring our people that, there will be sufficient food-to win-the war. It now lies with America to decide whether the Allies shall have enough food to hold out until the Americans take the field. Mr. Hoover replied: I will export every grain from America,-i save our normal consumption. We won't fail to meet the emergency." Mr. Hoover stated that America has already exported sixty million bushels, but that it is absolutely necessary for the country to reduce its present consumption by thirty per cent. EXTENDING 4 BRITISH MANUFACTURES. A COMMITTEE SET UP. . LABOR REPRESENTATIVE TO COOPERATE. Received Jan. 27, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan, 26. The Press Bureau states that Dr. Addison has appointed a committee, consisting of manufacturers and business men, to compile a list of articles suitable for manufacture which were not made in British before the war. A Labor advisory panel of skilled and unskilled workers will join in the investigation, co-op-erating with the committee. THE SHIPPING OUTPUT. A SEVEN-FOLD INCREASE. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. Received Jan. 27, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 26. The Admiralty has issued a diagram, showing that the shipbuilding output of March, 1916, was increased fourfold by September, 1017,' and sevenfold by December, 1017. 1 « TRANSPORT OF TROOPS. ELEVEN MILLION CARRIED OVERSEAS. > WITHOUT CASUALTY. , Reuter Service. , Received Jan. 27, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 26. There have only been two thousand casualties among the troops afloat. Since the beginning of the war, approximately 11,000,000 troops have been carried overseas without casualty. BUTTER DISTRIBUTION. London, Jan. 25. Two Australian butter cargoes have arrived, allowing another distribution of one-eighth of the January applications, consisting of equal proportions of butter and margarine. ■ APPOINTMENT OF GENERALS. The Daily News states it is untrue that the War Office is immediately appointing a number of Brigadiers-General. It will continue its present policy of promoting a certain number of new army oQfcers to higher commands.