Lord Rhondda, after opening a communal kitchen in West Ham
on Thursday week, again predicted with evident reluctance the introduction of compulsory rationing. The scheme was nearly ready for submission to the War Cabinet. The Food Controller declared at the same time that rationing would not abolish food queues, or secure an absolutely fair distribution of food in this country, any more than it had done in Germany. There would, he said, be a great shortage of meat in the next few weeks. He blamed the farmers for not sending their leaner cattle to market, but ho said that lie would not increase the maximum price which the farmers, not without reason, consider to be too low. He threatened to commandeer the cattle if necessary. Lord Rhondda said that he was on the side of the consumer, and the poor consumer. So are we all, but it is not, in the long run, to the interest of the poor consumer to dis- courage the rearing of cattle so that next winter there may be still less home-grown beef than there is now.
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