Evening star., 1949-08-07
British Are
BankingOn
SovietGrain
Million Ton Supply
Would Strengthen
Food Position
SpecjoI 10 The Stor

EI1QlcSS CllOuSll CIlc IlcSOCldtAO1lS
seemed likely to be, the Russians
have at last promised to supply
Britain with 100000 tons Of
coarse grains.
The wheat contract. which has
already been initiated, becomes
effective only if a general trade
agreement is reached by Septem-
Der /. The negotiations should
be successfully concluded in the
next few weeks. though the Brit
ish might agree to keep the talks
going until October if the Rus
slams show they mean business.
While it is never safe to proph-
esy about the Russians. there is
at least one good reason why they
should want a trade pact with
Britain. 1t is known that they
have been spending large sums in
sterling to buy raw materials.
Meanwhile some of the goods
we promised to supply under ths
old agreement are now ready. and
the Russians may not have
enough pounds to pay for them.
Steady improvements
! Assuming, then, that the pres
ent negotiations are successful.
Food Minister Strachey should get
another million tons of coarse
grains. He has already increased
our supplies many times over. In
1945 Britain was getting only q
little over 100000 tons a year. II
the Russian agreement goes
through. Mr.. Strachey may have
about 5000 900 tons to distribute
an increase of over TOO per cent
in four years. 1t is a remarkable
achievement.
Mr.. Strachey should now Do
able at least to maintain the
present ALLEGATIONS. and he might
even decide to increase them.
Another egg bonus next year
should be certain. And the Min
istry of Food ought to be in the
position to make one more i'm
portant concession: Next year
should see the end of milk ra-
tioning.
Despite all the ups and downs
since the war, the food situation
has obviously been steadily i'm
proving. Indeed the dollar crisis
lis in a sense a dramatic vindica-
! ton OF Mr.. Straehey's policy.
While other government depart
tments are being forced to cut i'm
ports from the dollar areas. his
ministry has increased the rations
of three basic foods-meat, butter
and bacon.
What, then. was Mr.. Strachey's
policy when he went to his de-
partment three years ago? From
the beginning he seems to have
foreseen that q dollar crisis was
inevitable. and that the only way
to prepare for 1t was by switching
as much of our food as possible
from Cne dollar areas.
Dollars Used for Wheat
Before the war Is per cent Of
the value of our food imports
came from the dollar countries.
In 1867 this proportion had
been more than doubled-it was
80 per cent. The following year,
when Mr.. Strachey took charge,
it was reduced to Is per cent.
Since then it has been cut by q
little more than half: The dollar
percentage Is now only II. Even
so we are probably spending more
than we can afford on dollar food
the IL per cent represents $685.
900 900. Unless q solution to the
crisis can be found while Sir
Stafford Cripps Is in Washington
in September, the government will
clearly have to consider further
cuts.
Three-quarters of our dollar
food is wheat, and the Canadian
agreement does not come to an
end until August, 1850. Nothing
very drastic need be expected be-
fore then, and in the interval the
worst that could happen seems to
be q cut in cheese.
Mr.. Strachey has carried out
his policy under great difficulties.
although he has been helped by
the increased production Of food
throughout the world. To begin
with. he has often had to resist
the temptation of buying In the
cheapest market. perhaps against
the advice of his own officials.
Generally speaking, dollar food
has been the cheapest. Again and
again Mr.. Strachey has gone else
where and has paid a higher price.
Taking each deal individually, his
decisions have often seemed in
comprehensive. 1t is only now,
when we can no longer afford to
buy dollar food, that his policy
makes sense.
New Post for Strachey?
1t might almost be said that Mr.,
Strachey has now practically
finished his task. Britain's food
supply has been made secure fo1
some little time, as far as this il
humanity possible. For Mr..
Strachey has not been content
merely to buy food In non-dollar
areas: He has always tried to
reach long-term agreements. Thus
the Danish agreement runs until
1852 and the Fire one until 1858.
New and unexpected difficulties
may arise In the future, but on
the face of 1t the next Minister
of Food should have q simpler
task than Mrs Strachey has had.
The process Of switching our food
imports from the dollar areas may
still have to 60 on, but the most
difficult part of the problem would
seem to have been solved.
1t is therefore natural that peo-
pie should be thinking that Mr..