FOOD HOARDERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1918, Page 7

FOOD HOARDERS.

MARIE CORELLI IN TROUBLE. *1 All A PATRIOT.." London, January Sth, Though, it is generally accepted that there is sufficient food in the country to obviate any possibility of national starvation before the next harvest, the inequalities of distribution have caused a good deal of bitterness. During the last few weeks the intense cold has greatly increased the hardships of people who have to spend most of the forenoon in queues to get their small share of margarine, sugar, and, latterly, of meat, and if Mr. Lloyd George is as well in touch with public opinion as he is generally given credit for he must have had some anxious nights lately. The queue business has, of course, been fully reported to Berlin, and the German papers nowadays show a distinct vein of optimism based on the alleged starvation of the British people. It is rather timely, for there is tlic very best evidence that Germany herself is this winter feeling the pinch of food shortage in such a way as to constitute a factor in the war situation. In spite of our hopes based on this position in earlier years, it has never been a factor of any value until now. Last week-cud the shopping centres of London bore an aspect quite out of keeping with the official assurances that there is plenty of food in the country. On Saturday morning the majority of, the food shops in the suburbs were closed altogether, placards on the doors bearing the stereotyped inscription, "No 'butter, 7\o margarine, no sugar," etc. But die trouble had extended for the first, time to the meat shops.

For tli? last few weeks meat has been getting increasingly scarce, and the butchers have been filling their windows with rabbits, ox-tails, liver, and even lights, and with an unusually largo supply of pork—or alleged pork—sausages. By midday, however, very many of them were sold out, and in many homes, throughout London at any rate, the week-end was a meatless one. As there is no evidence at all that this deprivation has extended to the middle and upper classes, there was naturally very great discontent, which expressed itself in a few minor riots in the shopping centres. RATIONING COMING. Like the mirage, the fear, or to be more correct, the hope, of compulsory rationing is still in the future. Lord : Khondda, who has not even got his sugar rationing machinery to wort vet, has now declared that there will' be general rationing "if Cabinet approves," and elaborate schemes have been published for carrying it out. Nine out of ten people only want to see it brought in, as it is quite evident that the disiributiou of food supplies and milk -to-day is far from equitable, and is hitting the poorer classes very severely. Meanwhile, we continue to have our regular crop of food hoarders, and it is satisfactory to see an increasingly healthy attitude on the part of the Bench towards the culprits. At Walsall a metal refiner named Jo'lin Thomas was found guilty and sentenced to six months' imprisonment and a fine of '.£ so, with costs. Tins beautiful gentleman pleaded that, ''in accordance with a benevolent practice, he wished to bo able, through the agency of his Church, to distribute comforts among the poor, "to which end he had built into ids cellars, behind walk which were carefully whitewashed, a cache which included. 4241b of tea, 3111b of bacon and hum, 1751b of flour, 232 tins of meat and ftsii, 1-27 tins of tomatoes and fruit, 1331b of biscuits, 1271b of sugar, 4491b of peas, beans, and oats, 1241b of syrup, v 9O tins of condensed' milk, 1001b of nuts, fl sacks of potatoes, 36 bottles of ale, 10 of champagne, ISO of other wine, 4 of brandy, 12 of rum, and 14 of whisky. The defendant's store of foodstuffs was shared by the Walsall Committee among necessitous people. A schoolmaster in the North was punished for having 2cwt of sugar more than his allowanceLady Mabel Gore Langton was fined £BO for hoarding 1251b of tea, 351b of coffee, 231b of currants, 201b of sugar, and other commodities in proportion The Bench confiscated 1031b of the tea. The most interesting case was that of Miss Marie Corelli, who has been fined £SO on one of three summonses. Inspectors from the Ministry of Food found that whereas her household at Stratford-on-Avon was entitled to 321b of sugar for the months of September to November, she actually obtained IS3

lb, independent of preserving sugar, to which she was entitled, and hy means of which she made 4751b of jam. She had been obtaining sugar both locally and from London. W'hen the constable appeared to make enquiries she objected indignantly: "1 hear you have been accusing mo of hoarding. It has come to a fine thing if women cannot live in their homes without ibeing interfered with by the police," she said. "It's a lie. The tea has not been delivered here. Besides lam a patriot and would not think of hoarding. I tihink you police are over-stepping your duty in visiting my house. You are upsetting the country altogether with your food orders and what not. Lloyd (Jeorge will be resigning to-morrow, and there will be a revolution in England in less than a week." Miss Corelli's counsel contended that there had been no secrecy or attempt at concealment.