§ Viscount WOLMERasked the Prime Minister whether he can state what steps are being taken by the Allied Governments to relieve the famine conditions prevailing in Russia, Germany, Austria, and Poland?
Mr. ROBERTSInter-Allied Relief Missions have been set up in the devastated areas in Europe to administer relief in food, medical stores, and other necessary supplies, for which an advance of £12,500,000 has been made by the Treasury. British representatives have been sent to Poland, to Roumania, to German-Austria (to administer, relief and investigate the needs of that country and of Hungary, Czecho-Slovakia, Jugo Slavia, Ukraine, Serbia), to Constantinople (for 923W Turkey-in-Europe, Turkey-in-Asia, Armenia, Georgia, Trans-Caucasia, Azer-bayan, and the Kouban), and to the Baltic States (for Esthonia, Lettland, and Lithunia). The total amount of foodstuffs and other necessary items supplied by the Allies amount to over 2,500,000 tons. Of this the greater part (over 2,000,000 tons) has been supplied and distributed by the United States of America. The supplies financed by the British Government are shown below.
There are also British representatives on the Rotterdam Food Commission for negotiating supplies of foodstuffs to Germany against which the Germans are making payments in gold. The gold so far deposited amounts to £16,000,000, and has been used to cover the supplies shown in the following table, the greater part of which are already shipped or in the process of being dispatched:
924W
Supplies Financed by the Advance of£12,500,000. Poland. Tons. Breadstuffs 2,844 Rice and pulses 1,327 Preserved meat 106 Soap 461 Oats 4,097 £ Clothing 141,670 Drugs 100,000 Railway material (sanctioned) 500,000 Serbia and Jugo Slavia. Tons. Breadstuff s 10,649 Rye and seed barley 3,895 Pork products 970 Milk 375 Cocoa and Sugar 50 Sundries, tea, etc. 7,728 £ Veterinary stores 450 Horses, etc 250,000 Tents 15,000 Cattle 200,000 Coal 50,250 German Austria. Tons. Breadstuff's 50,137 Milk 2,000 Miscellaneous 10,000 Roumania. Tons. Breadstuff's 43,646 Rice and pulses 1,859 Preserved meat 700 Preserved fish and biscuits 7,796 Railway material (financial sanction) £500,000 Tons. Beans (financial sanction) 2,300
Czecho-Slovakia. Tons. Breadstuffs … … 1,673 Rice and pulses … … 4,000 Milk … … 300 Beans … … 4,000 £ Soap … … 45,000 Shirting … … 20,000 Baltic States, Esthonia. … … Tons. Breadstuffs … … 5,400 Rice and pulses … … 200 Herrings … … 3,000 Nitrate of soda … … 50 Supplies have been sold to Finland against cash, as follows:
Tons. Rice and pulses … … 1,170 Condensed milk … … 40 Cocoa and sugar … … 1,415 Sundries … … 842 Supplies are being made to Germany against German gold, as follows:
Tons. Flour … 9,192 Cereals … 54,506 Potatoes … 133,283 Bacon (lard) … 30,000 Dripping … 1,971 Oils … 28,000 Milk (condensed, dried) … 16,750 Meat … 15,500