From ‘The Grand Victualler to the Nation’, The Spectator, 10 July 1915:
As important as the supply of munitions is the supply of food. One, indeed, is useless without the other. No matter how much shell we have, we shall not be able to use it if our men are starving and are too weak from privation to load their guns or continue to keep up the supply of ammunition. If we are to ensure that this country shall always be abundantly victualled, we must take vigorous and timely action. If we do not, there is very grave risk that one day the country will be suddenly awakened by the news that there is a serious shortage of food, and that unless some tremendous effort is made we shall run the risk of starvation. The next step, of course, will be for the nation to be told that the Government made anxious inquiry some four or five months before, that they were then assured by the great importers of food-stuffs that huge quantities of grain of all sorts and other forms of food would reach this country in, say, the months of September, October, and November, and that they had naturally relied upon promises so specific and had not thought it necessary to do anything more in the matter. Yet now merchant after merchant had suddenly written to the Government to say that, instead of arriving at the time expected, the stuff would be at least three months late. That is the sort of thing which might very well happen on the analogy of what happened as regards the munitions. It is nevertheless a thing which can perfectly well be avoided if we take proper precautions.
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