OCR Text |
Show FOOD SIHT1 II EUROPE VERY GRAVE ! Conditions in Great Britain, France and Italy Cause of Concern in Washington. i i I WASHINGTON. Jan. 6. The food situation sit-uation in the allied countries of Kurope is i n raver than it lias been at any time since ! the beginning of the war and is giving American government officials deep concern. con-cern. Official reports picture extreme food shortages in Kngland, -"ranee and Italy. The fact that conditions hi Germany -.nd Austria are far worse offers the only yruunds for uptimism in viewing the situation. sit-uation. In Lhiglartd and France the situation is described as critical in a cablegram to the food administration today from Lord liho-Klda, the British food controller, which concluded with these words: "I view the situation with grave anxiety." anx-iety." Yesterday a cablegram from the French government said that the wheat crop had been requisitioned and that the bread ration ra-tion would be cut to allow only seven ounces of bread daily to all persons except ex-cept the very poor and those doing hard manual labor. In Italy conditions are not as good perhaps as in either Enyland or France. Compulsory rationing will be started in Fngland immediately with meat- the first commodity to be put under control. Distribution Dis-tribution of butter and margarine will be taken in hand next and other foods will he added as they become scarcer. All of the principal "foodstuffs will be rationed ra-tioned by April. 'T have repeatedly said in public and private that thre is no reason for immediate imme-diate alarm, although there is every reason rea-son for strict economy and precautionary measures," said Lord Rhondda's mes-sage. "These statements in some instances have been twisted into a declaration that there is plenty of food in Kngland and France. ; "The food position in this country, and understand in France also, can without exaggeration be described as critical and anxious. As I am now unable to avoid compulsory rationing I fear it will have to come with long queues of people waiting wait-ing in the severe weather in practically every town in England for the daily necessaries of life." Compulsory control of foodstuffs in England, Eng-land, France and Italy was insisted on by the American delegates to the Paris conference con-ference and was promised at thaL time. By International News Service. WASHINGTON, Jan. 6. Federal food administrators or their representatives from every state in the union are arriving in the city for a two days' conference, beginning Tuesday. One of the matters to be taken up will be the adoption in all states of a plan of organization, which some federal administrators have adopted, of having country food administrators to keep the state administrator in touch with his whole state, and to act as agents in promoting food conservation and carrying carry-ing on the duties of the federal food administration. ad-ministration. Consideration will be given to means of co-ordinating closely the work of the department de-partment of agriculture and that of the food administration in connection with the stimulation of food production. |