§ THE EARL OF ANCASTERMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government whether any arrangements are being made to utilise the possible surplus supply of potatoes during the year 1918 in the event of a shortage of cereals. As I infer in my Question, I believe there is a probability that this year's potato crop will be the one crop which will exceed the average, and it would be a great pity if His Majesty's Government did not take every means in their power to preserve this surplus for the people. The noble and gallant Admiral (Lord Beresford) has referred to our losses 74 through enemy submarines. We never know what straits we may be in twelve months from now. Excellent meal for use in the making of bread can, I understand, be obtained from potatoes, and I think the Government should consider whether it would not be advisable to erect mills in different parts of the country capable of grinding potatoes. The ordinary flour mills cannot do this, so I am told. A large number of potatoes were ruined in the late spring by frost. Although many farmers imagine their potatoes to be safe when placed in pits, such is not always the case. If the surplus potatoes are ground to meal they will, I am credibly informed, keep much better, and will form an extra source of food supply in the case of need next spring and summer.
§ LORD RHONDDAMy Lords, inquiries and experiments have been made in a number of directions by the Ministry of Food and the Food Production Department as to the way in which any surplus of potatoes might be utilised if it were not consumed in the ordinary course. These methods include, first, drying potatoes. Very considerable progress has been made in this direction, and a certain amount of plant has already been arranged for to deal with potatoes in this manner, if necessary. Another process is the utilisation of potatoes by bakers in making bread. This has often been done in the past; and, if necessary, formal authorisation can be given to bakers to put potatoes into bread, up to a certain limit, directly and without previously converting potatoes into flour. This makes a very palatable loaf—as I know from my own experience—though there may be difficulties in a great extension of the practice, since bakers may not have sufficient facilities for boiling potatoes. With respect to the suggestion as to manufacture of potato flour, this has been investigated to some extent, but it is probably not a very hopeful way of utilising potatoes, owing to the large amount of potatoes required to produce any given quantity of flour. It is, however, being further investigated as an ultimate resource. It will thus be seen that the Ministry have been giving careful consideration to the methods of utilising any surplus of potatoes, and if, happily, there is a surplus, full advantage will be taken. I am not at present in a position to say whether there is likely to be a surplus, though present conditions point to a heavy crop.