FOOD SHORTAGES

FOOD SHORTAGES IN KETTLESTONE

In 1914, Britain imported over 60% of its total food supply

· 80% of wheat

· Almost all of the sugar,

· 80 % of lard,

· 75% of cheese,

· 66% of bacon

· 50% of the condensed milk.

British meat and fresh milk were expensive and more likely to be consumed by the wealthier classes. Cheap cuts of meat, brought in chilled from South America and Australasia were much cheaper than home raised meat

In addition men from the farming industry joined the armed services, leaving the country in short supply of agricultural workers. The wheat harvest of 1916 was lower than usual and the potato crop in Scotland and parts of England failed. Food prices started rapidly increasing, making some items unaffordable for many people.

The situation deteriorated even further when, on 9 January 1917, Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare. This meant that British merchant ships transporting food from overseas were at risk of being sunk.

A scheme of voluntary rationing was promoted, with the aim of reducing the consumption of food in short supply, and to show how to avoid waste when cooking.

Although this voluntary scheme had some effect, more was still needed.

Shortages continued and although wealthier people could still afford food, malnutrition was seen in poor communities. To try to make things fairer and ensure that everyone received their fair share, the government introduced rationing in 1918.

Ration cards were issued and everyone had to register with a local butcher and grocer. The first item to be rationed was sugar in January 1918, but by the end of April meat, butter, cheese and margarine were added to the list.

VOLUNTARY FOOD RATIONING

FROM THE REVEREND SHARE'S NOTES

1st February 1917

Food rationing for the nation

In order to safeguard the food of the nation during the remainder of the war the food controller Lord Devonport issues a request tantamount to an order to the nation to limit themselves voluntarily to:-

4lb of bread

2 1/2lb of meat

3/4lb of sugar

per head per week

24th Feb 1917 Great speech by the Premier about the alarming shortage of nation’s food supply. Call for sacrifice and increasing home production.

11^th March 1917 Gave out Food Controller’s letter and papers to congregation and spoke about the same

Gave out notice calling for men to drive motors and tractors for ploughing land during next 40 days, in connection with nation’s food supply during continuance of war. This notice was expressly sanctioned by the Bishop of the Diocese

16^th March 1917 No new bread may be sold by order of the Food Controller Lord Devonport

6^th May 1917 The King’s Proclamation about food economy especially flour, bread and corn, read in church and preached about at the evening service as directed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Proclamation Poster at church door

COMPULSORY RATIONING

Although voluntary rationing had some effect, more was still needed.

Every person had a ration card (including the King and Queen). This allowed each person:

15 oz (425g) of meat per week
5 oz (142g) of bacon per week
4 oz (113g) of butter or margarine per week

Weekly Rations

lord devonport

The Government's food controller

Image courtesy of Bassano Ltd

WW1 posters encouraging families to eat less bread

An appeal from Lord Devonport for voluntary food rationing. This was not successful and compulsory rationing was introduced.

agricultural wages AND LABOUR SHORTAGES

AGRICULTURAL WAGES 1919

Food shortages during the war and a lack of labourers forced up agricultural wages . They more than doubled by the end of the war.

1919 REVEREND SHARE

‘The agricultural wage is about to be raised to 36/6. It was 13s in 1911’.

THE HOUSE OF LORDS 21st April 1914

EXTRACTS FROM A SPEECH BY THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

My Lords, I rise to call attention to the insufficiency of agricultural wages in certain parts of the country. I shall not apologise to your Lordships for bringing this subject to your attention, because I believe that subjects of this kind and the grievances and difficulties connected with them are of far greater importance to the country, than the ordinary topics of polemical and controversial discussion in Parliament.

I am anxious not to trouble your Lordships with anything in the nature of elaborate statistics, but in order to make good my point I will quote one or two extreme cases of low agricultural wages. In Wiltshire the total earnings stood at 16s. In Suffolk they were 15s. 9d. In Norfolk the total earnings were 15s. 4d.

These are very low wages out of which to pay rent and maintain a wife and family.

Take 2s. off for rent and there is left less than 2s. per day for the whole family; and if the family consists, as it might reasonably do, of six persons, that is equal to less than 4d. a day per person.

As agricultural workers joined up, the supply of agricultural labour fell and by 1916 it was about 90 percent of its pre-war level. Replacement labour of various types ensured that the overall supply recovered to about 97 per cent of its pre-war level by 1918. Officially supplied labour (chiefly soldiers, prisoners of war, and the Women's Land Army) accounted for slightly over half of all replacement labour during the war. The remainder consisted largely of village women and children.