THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 25, 1989.
BRITAIN'S SIX MONTHS'
GRAIN
GOVERNMENT'S FOOD PLAN
RESERVE
The declaration of Sir Herbert Matthews, a member of the Ministry of Food during the Great War, that "this country is in a far worse position as regards its food supply than it was in 1914," finds little support.
Reasons which Sir Herbert, who was making his presidential address to the Industrial Transport Association at Norwich, gave for taking this view included growth of population and reduction of the number of our merchant ships..
He also referred to the "poor and the Board of Trade and the liberal half starved" condition of the land credits arranged by Parliament for and low farm prices matters the purpose, millers and merchants .enabled to hold which already have been dealt with in Britain are in recent agricultural legislation. stocks of wheat and other grain Regarding food storage Sir Her-equivalent in winter to at least six bert condemned the "secrecy" months' requirements for the whole which he said followed the Govern- country. ment's announcement 12 months ago of the purchase of a large quantity of wheat, sugar and whale oil.
What, he asked, had been done with the wheat? Had it been brought to this country, or were the Government satisfied with "futures,"
"TOO MUCH CONTROL" He had no objection to dealers being employed as agents for the
•
Government, but he had the very strongest objection of them having any voice in deciding when or where buying, storage or selling was to take place. "I am apprehen- sive," he added. "The very silence of the trade' leads me to fear it has too much control."
The facts are that through the Food Defence Plans Department of
OFF THE RECORD:
ED REED
Here's Luck
or-
Purchases from the Dominions and foreign countries have been and will continue through three selected large
the Co-operative ganisations, Wholesale Society, Joseph Rank and Spillers.
DEFENCE CHIEFS
AT NO. 10
London, To-day.
R.A.F. RECRUITS
London, To-day.
The Air Ministry announces that 597 recruits joined the Royal Air
There was a meeting of Ministers Force during the week ending July at 10 Downing
22 compared with. 594 in the cor- Street yesterday
responding period last year. morning.
This brings the total entry
of
as
At the meeting there were pre- sent the Prime Minister, Mr. Cham- pilots, observers, airmen and boys berlain; the First Lord of the Ad- since April 1, 1939 to 14,252 miralty, Lord Stanhope; the minis- compared with 6,488 for the cor- ter for Co-ordination of Defence, responding period last year.—-Bri-
tish Wireless.. Lord Chatfield; the Air Minister, Sir Kingsley Wood; the War. Minis- Gort; Air Chief Marshall Sir Cyril
ter, Mr. Hore-Belisha; the Minister Newall; and the Diplomatic Advisor of Supply, Mr. Leslie Burgin: Chief to the Government, Sir Robert Van-
of Imperial General Staff, Viscount sittart.-British Wireless.
Full Text Of Mr. Chamberlain's
Statement On Tokyo
London, To-day.
to be made The Prime Minister made the following statement in the Commons yesterday regarding the Anglo-Japanese negotiations in Tokyo.
FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENT Experience towards the end of the last war showed that this system of employing large firms accustom- ed to big dealings was better than
mass direct buying by the Gov
ernment:
The present arrangement is flexible and should it seem that prices are being unduly forced up the Food Defence Plans Depart ment is at. liberty to appoint other agencies which could operate in secrecy.
(Continued at foot of next colm.)
By ED REED.
MARSHALL BROWN'S GYM
EWO BEER
"The general position at Tientsin is unchanged. No incidents have been reported. The milk situa- tion is fairly satisfactory; supplies are good but continue to be subject to delays at the barriers. "Since July 15, preliminary conversations have been proceeding at Tokyo between His Majes- ty's Ambassador and the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs before starting negotia- tions for settlement of the situation at Tientsin. "At the outset of the discussions "Hostilities were proceeding in the Japanese Government express-China on a large scale. ' The Ja- ed the view that if progress was panese army had to provide for its to be made in removal of misun-own security and to maintain pub- derstandings and establishment of lie order in the occupied areas, better relations it was essential to and was therefore obliged to take recognise the background against action to see that these causes were which the situation at Tientsin not prejudiced. should be viewed.
THE FORMULA
"This had nothing to do with His
"In order to clear the way for Majesty's Government's China pojesty's Government have according- the Tientsin discussions, His Ma- licy but was a question of fact,
ly agreed upon the following form- ula with the Japanese Government: Much of the wheat purchased
"His Majesty's Government in last autumn is now being turned the United Kingdom fully recog- over in the ordinary course of comnise the actual situation in China, where hostilities on a large scale merce. It is being replaced to some extent, but as there is promise of a
are in progress and note that as good harvest, not only in Britain, long as that state of affairs contin- but also in the Dominions, there ues to exist, the Japanese forces in is a tendency to reduce stocks held China have special requirements here.
for the purpose of ~ "safeguarding It may be observed that all the their own security and maintain- Government measures for increasing public order in regions under ing the storage of basic feeding their control, and that they have to stuffe, whether for human or live suppress or remove any such causes stock consumption in Britain, have or acts as will obstruct them or be- been and are being carried out neft their enemy, without any dislocation of the markets;
MAKE IT PLAIN -
"His Majesty's Government have NOT HELD AT PORTS no intention of countenancing any Any suggestion that large stocks act or measures prejudical to the of imported grain and the like are attainment of the above mentioned being held at the ports is in- Jubjects by the Japanese; forces, and accurate. The whole basis of the they will take this opportunity to food defence plans is that dietri confirm their policy in this respect bution of such stocks should be as by making it plain to the British wide as possible, with bakers, mill-authorities and British nationals in.. ers and merchants given 'scope to Chinal that they should refrain increase, their formul stocks, and from such acts and meashirë... farmers encël
In reply to supplementary quest out their
and market them tions the Prim
alona, wo
Tient:
Wireless,