The French Food Minister, M. Long, gave the Chamber last
week an account of the very serious deficiency in the food supplies of France. The harvest had, ho said, been the worst known for half-a- century ; the yield of corn was less by a quarter than that of 1914, and less by nearly a third than that of 1913. Bread would have to be rationed for the town dwellers, and the sugar allowance would be reduced to one pound monthly per head. On the other hand, the meatless days would be abolished. N. Long stated that food- stuffs would be purchased in co-operation with Great Britain through a central agency in America, and that the whole French mercantile marine was under State control It is highly important to remember that our Allies, like ourselves—and in some ways to a greater extent than ourselves—are suffering from the universal food shortage The wants of the countries ravaged by the enemy have also to be con- sidered, if we are to estimate fully the need for strict economy, not only until the war is over, but also during the first few years of peace.
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