CO129-581-16 British propaganda in Hong Kong 18-4-1939 - 29-10-1939 — Page 116

116

W 745

Weekly London Letter.

By Andrew Black ore.

More Land for the Flough.

Great Britain is to grow more food. That is the part of the

country's preparation for a war which it is hoped will never come. During the Great War enemy attacks on British food-ships brought

the country within a few weeks of starvation in 1917; should there

be another war risk of such calamity must be eliminated if possible.

During the next few months farmers who plough up rough or un-

productive land which has been allowed to fall into disuse during

the past ten years or so will receive subsidies of 22 an acre from

the Government. A promise to this effect was recently made in the

House of Commons by Sir Reginald Dorman-Sith, Minister of Agri-

culture, who expects as a result that about a quarter of a million

acres of arable land will be immediately reclaimed. This will not

only be a means of increasing food production in time of emergency,

but will be part of a long-term policy to bring back prosperity to

the farming industry.

The necessary organisations, both national and local, have

been established to deal with the problem. Reserves of fertilisers

have been accumulated; tractors, fuel, implements, seeds, and all

manner of farm requisites will be distributed as the need arises;

and the difficult problem of ensuring a sufficiency of agricultural

labour is being dealt with.

These plans to grow more food are but a part of the Govern-

ment's general scheme to prevent an enemy from undermining British resistance by starvation. More than a year ago reserves of parti-

cular foodstuffs began to be collected and stored; the Navy and the Mercantile Marine will co-operate effectively to ensure that food

ships will reach home ports; and an increase of production from

British soil will give a still greater margin of security in case

of war.