Discouraging Food Production
The Ministry of Food has been " looking again " into its scheme for controlling the sale of eggs ; and has been induced to modify the restrictions on small poultry keepers. The policy of the Food Ministry in this war differs notably from that of the Food Ministry in the last war, not merely in details but in principles. A leading principle in the last war was the encouragement of the small producer—the man or woman who in spare time, utilising ground and materials that would not otherwsie be utilised, fattens a pig, or keeps egg- laying poultry, or makes jam out of garden fruit. Lord Woolton, whose outlook seems to be purely townish and who acts as if he had never known a village in his life, has less than no awareness of this side of food supply. First he destroyed cottage pig-keeping, and now he was well on his way to destroy small- scale egg and fruit production. His one idea seems to be egalitarian rationing—to ensure that the countryman who has a bit of ground shall fare no better than the townsman who has not. It may be questioned if the idea is really even egalitarian, since the townsman has so many advantages- -higher wages, for instance—for which the countryman's bit of ground is his counter-weight. But the most serious con- sideration is the loss of food-supply. What gain will it be for the townsman, if you forbid the villager from buying locally- raised eggs, which, unless he can buy them, will not be raised at all?
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