TOPICS OF THE DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21364, 7 March 1941, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Franco's Diffculties “ When Franco entered Madrid he gave the people bread. The country was his. But he lost it. He ran out of bread, for one thing, and he ran out of money. In the old days, a Spanish workman would consume a little more than two pounds o’f bread, and now he gets about three and one-half ounces. Bread dipped in olive oil, with chick-peas, a. few greens and an occasional piece of fish or meat, constituted the normal worker’s diet, and it was fairly cheap. Now the Spaniard must pay premium prices for his old staples. The party fixes food prices, but to get anything he must pay twice or three times the legalised scale. Bread is a major problem now, but will grow worse. Being bankrupt, Spain will not be able to do any heavy buying of foodstuffs abroad, and her wheat crop, despite pressure on the peasants to urge war-torn acres to produce more wheat, was- off 20 per cent, from the normal four million and a quarter metric tons. Only potatoes were an abundant crop, and that is what Spaniards had to eat this winter. There are two million soldiers under arms, at least half a million men in gaols, and there isn't labour available lo till the 6oxL"—Mr Frank Gervasi, in Collier’s, U.SJC