MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1918, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

THE FOOD PROBLEM. I STRAIGHT TALK TO FARMERS. A CRITICAL POSITION. MILLION ACRES OF POTATOES NEEDED. Received Feb. 3, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 1. Mr. R. E. Prothero (President of the Board of Agriculture), addressing the farmer*' representatives, said that we are in a critical position and approaching tlie rapids, and unless the farmers pulled with him and Lord Rhondda the country would be swept over. There was a very great shortage of concentrated foods, and only enough outs to feed working horses on reduced rations after an allowance was made for milling stocks. With regard to cattle, we are in the same position as in 1870, when wo could not purchase concentrated food. This condition will last until this timo next year. Mr. Prothero appealed to the farmers to extend the arable area for cattle feeding. He also specially wanted them to grow potatoes. Carriage and pleasure horses must be put on grass or killed, and hunters must also be put on grass, a limited ration being allowed for thoroughbreds. He concluded: "There is not tlie faintest occasion for panic. Live stock can be kept up to mark." Lord Rhondda stated that the wheat position for two or three months may be very serious, hut thero would bo no fear of starvation if we get a million aci-ps in potatoes this year. (The farmers loudly dissented.) Lord Rhondda dopes that tlie Government will take its hands off the prices after the war. RATIONING AND TRANSPORT. A LABQRITE'S STATEMENT. Received Feb. 3, 5.30 p.m. London, Feb. 2. Mr. .T. R. Clynes (Labor M.P.) explained that only those who have access (o the facts and figures whereon the Food Minister based his policy could advise as to the problems of rationing and transport administration. IMPORTANT CONFERENCE. TO BE HELD VERY SHORTLY. BETWEEN BRITISH AND DOMINIONS MINISTERS. United Service. Received Feb. 3, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 1. Though the plans have not yet been made, most important conferences between British and Dominion Ministers are certain to be held very shortly, The War Cabinet regards these consultations as vital and imperative. Mr. Walter Long (Colonial Secretary) has been charged to ascertain the Dominions' views upon subjects whereanent personal interviews are essential. These cover the whole gamut of war activities, the negotiations including reinforcements, repatriation, finance, and post-war trade. Sir Robert Borden and General Botha arc coming. MR. ARTHUR YAPP RESIGNS. H'TS TASK FINISHED. Rcuter Service. Received Feb. 2, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 1. Sir Arthur Yapp is resigning the directorship of food economy because compulsory rationing has 'been decided on. lie had finished his task of organising voluntary rationing. ALTERNATIVE VOTE RESTORED, COMPULSORY RATIONING. • FIVE SHILLING NOTES. Received Feb. 2, 6.5 p.m. London, Feb, 1. The House of Commons, by 178 to 170, restored the alternative vote for single member constituencies, which the House of Lords rejected. In the House of Lords. Lord Rhondda (Food Controller) stated he hoped to have the country covered by local compulsory rationing schemes early in March, which the Government will subsequently transform into one rfational i scheme. , ! Mr. Bonar Law, in the House of Commons, said there was no intci.Jon at present of issuing 5s notes, but a small stock was being printed in readiness for a possible silver emergency. ALLIED WAR AIMS. EXPLICIT AND MODERATE. London, Feb, 1. Mr. Bonar Law, in the House of Commons, said that the Allies' Conference in Paris did not propose to issue a joint declaration of war aims. He considered our declarations were already explicit and moderate. FATAL AIR RAID PANIC. EIGHT JEWS SUFFOCATED. Received Feb. 8, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 2. At an inquest in the East of London on eight Jews, mostly Russians, who were suffocated as the result of a stampede during Monday's air raid, the police gave evidence that when the warnings were fired the foreigners became panicstricken and rushed the shelter, though there was ample time for everyone to reacU the shelter. Many of those creating the panic were young men. MEETING OF CONSUMERS' COUNCIL. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. Received Feb. 3, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 2 The Press Bureau reports that the , first meeting has been held of tlie Con- ! Burners' Council, whereon trades unioni ists are co-operating, and women industrialists are represented.

MAN-POWER IS3UE. ALARMIST STATEMENT BY MR. HENDERSON. PEACE MUST BE MADE AT ONCE. WORKMEN'S TEMPER DANGEROUS. Reuter Service. Received Feb. 3, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 1. Mr. Henderson has issued a statement to the press urging the Government to withdraw its refusal to separately meet the representatives of the Society of Engineers, also appealing to the workers not to embarrass the Labor leaders or to jeopardise the international unity movement, He declares that diplomatic diplomacy has begun, and opines that the alleged Labor conference, which iB meeting in London on February 20 would achieve an agreement of all Allied working-class parties upon a policy to secure a democratic peace. Such peace would come when the Governments were resolutely told that peace mimt be made at once, upon such terms and no other. He adds that he has in his possession information which shows that the industrial situation is more grave and more, pregnant with disastrous possibilities than at any period of the war. A crisis of the first magnitude is threatened. The workmen's temper is dangerous, and the Government's unyielding attitude is bringing the country to the verge of an industrial revolution. He appeals to the workmen to realise the gravity of the step in threatening to strike unless the Government declares an armistice in order to negotiate action with the working classes of the Central Powers. This may precipitate a crisis, when the arrangements we are making for concentrated action by an international democracy in the direction of general peaee are repidly approaching completion. THE OFFICIAL REPLY. GOVERNMENT WILLING TO MEET . ENGINEERS. IF OTHER UNIONS AGREE. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. Received Feb. 3, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 2. The Press Bureau, in an official reply to Mr Henderson, controverts the claim that the Government bad admitted the engineers' claim for separate treatment, The statement concludes: "It is necessary to realise that this is not a differonce between the Government and one or more of the unions, but between. the unions themselves. It is well known that other unions resented the Government's meeting the amalgamated engineers separately previously. The Government now agrees to meet the amalgamated engineers separately if the other unions agree. No question of procedure must obscure the man power issue. Tn order to maintain the armies in the field fit men must be withdrawn from munition works, as the diluteds alone are insufficient to provide the necessary number." A BYE-ELECTION. Reuter Service. Received (Feb. 3, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 1. In the Prcstwick bye-election, Lieut. Cawley, a Coalitionist (son of the exmember, who was raised to the peerage), secured 8510 votes against May, the co-operative candidate, who polled 233'2. AN IRISH BYE-ELECTrON. Reuter Service. Received Feb. 4, 12.45 a.m. London, Feb. 2. The South Armagh bye-election, which was hotly contested, resulted: Donnelly (Nationalist) 2316, McCartin (Sinn Feiner) 1299.