FOOD IN BRITAIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 December 1940, Page 6

FOOD IN BRITAIN

GODD STOCKS AND AMPLE RESERVES , DENIAL OF ALLEGATIONS BY NAZIS. ONLY LUXURIES SEVERELY RATIONED. German propaganda has represented that there is shortage of food in Britain. This assertion is completely disproved by the facts, a special correspondent of the “Sydney Morning Herald” observes. Not only is there in Great Britain an adequate supply of foodstuffs of all kinds, but ample reserves have been accumulated in store, and, if augmented supplies were required, tremendous resources are available. “If the present cold storage space be maintained, there will be foj the duration of the war more food available to the people of Britain than they can possibly consume.’' the correspondent adds.

“Some luxury foodstuffs have been severely rationed because of more urgent demands on shipping space, but none of these is a vital necessity and there are satisfactory natural substitutes of a more simple nature for all of them. “Statements have been made in Australia that the Commonwealth is not exerting sufficient effort to produce foodstuffs for the people of Britain. The Government has replied, however, that Australia is supplying Britain with all the foodstuffs she requires us to send, and we could supply more if the demand were there and ships were made available. “Practically the whole of Europe is under blockade. This means that the food supplying resources of the rest of the world are practically at Britain's command.

“The exporting countries of the world have a surplus of 1.400,000,000 bushels of wheat. Britain imports 200.900,000 annually, so that, without any addition, there is a reserve of wheat in oversea countries sufficient for Britain's needs for five years. Canada alone has a surplus of wheat sufficient for the needs of Great Britain for three years.

“Britain has less bacon and ham than in pre-war years, because Denmark, Holland, and other European countries were the principal source of supply. But mutton and lamb supplies are in no way altered by events in Europe. Britain has already taken the total output of mutton and lamb from New Zealand and imposed an annual limitation on the quantity she will take from South America. There is thus more available for the British people than they require. “The beef position is even more sound. Australia and New Zealand send practically all their beef exports to Britain. The great beef exporting countries of South America sent very large quantities to Europe in peacetime. The blockade of Europe has deflected the whole of this source of supply to Britain, and the British are forced to limit their imports from South America because they could not consume the beef quickly enough and the cool stores could not accommodate the huge reserves which would pile up from unrestricted import.

“The edible fats position has been subject to some change. Butter is shorter in supply since Danish and other European supplies were cut off, but butter from Australia, New Zealand, and South America is available and provides a moderate ration. Moreover, huge stocks of edible oils and fats have been built up. Whale oil, suitable for margarine production, was purchased in tremendous quantities before the war, and supplies of other edible oils have been progressively increased. There is ample copra (a popular margarine base) in British Pacific territories if needed, but Britain has many months’ supply of vegetable, oils safely stored. The same can be said of many of the necessary foodstuffs. “Britain in war has as great potential sources of foodstuffs as in time of peace. Her imports are governed by such factors as shipping space, storage space, distribution, and consumption. As a balance between these is maintained, the British people need fear no shortage.”