Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Tuesday 08 January 1918

Food Control

There are signs that the local Food Control Committees are getting into their stride, that the margarine queues were almost long as ever last week, but the Food Control Committees, having resolved some their doubts and abandoned some of their fears, are now preparing to adopt the measures which have met with such striking success in other  towns. The chief of these is the seizure and distribution of supplies.

Mexboro’ and Swinton Committees have promised their public that a scheme of registration and rationing shall be instituted, but beyond approving the scheme they have taken no further step, and the public are getting impatient. The Food Control Committees ought to remember that the consumers, those who stand in the queues and those who don’t, look solely to them for protection and assistance, and this is not the time cither for hesitation or somnolence. The Control Committees must up and doing, up now, at once, and doing all the time, working overtime if necessary, to see the provisions fairly shared out.

I believe the Mexboro’ and Swinton Committees have been waiting—quite unnecessarily —for the adhesion to their scheme of the neighbouring districts, who, I understand, are not inclined come in. So much the worse for them.

The Wombwell Food Control Committee hare decided to adopt the Birmingham scheme, and will probably take into the orbit of its operation Wath, Bolton, Thurnscoe, Darfield, and Hoy land.

The people this district met the sudden meat shortage in better temper than might have been expected. They took what supplies they could get and somehow or other managed to fill up with substitutes for beet and mutton. There was run on the pork and tripe shops, and also a big business in canned meats. Quite a number people discovered their surprise that there was gastronomic virtue in “bully” or corn beef. When there nothing better to had bully goes down with a relish. If must get down to the iron rations, which are the staple food of millions of better men there is certainly no reason why we shouldn’t eat corn beef with both appetite and contentment.

The village of Barnburgh, in the emergency, accidentally experimented in communal feeding, and found it a very good notion.  A farmer in the village came the assistance of the public. With the consent of the local Food Control Committee, he killed a beast, and furnished the parish with its week-end joint.