British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 996. Chapter XXVI: War Economic Measures: Section 4: War Time Economic Control: (a) Food Control in Palestine before 1948 (Nakba),

CHAPTER XXVI.

(a) To co-ordinate the administration of Government's war time economic policy and ensure its effective working by maintaining liaison

(1) between the central Government on one hand and war time controls and economic departments on the other;

(2) between controller and controller; and

(3) between controllers and other organisations including the District Administration and the Army.

(b) To ensure that the day to day administration of controls is related to Government war economic policy as a whole; and (c} to be chairman or member of committees and boards appointed by Government in furtherance of that policy.

The Liaison Officer is at present chairman of the Citrus Control Board and the Citrus Marketing Board, of the Board of Scientific and Industrial Research and of the Advisory Committee for the Disposal of Surplus War Materials; he is also a member of the War Economic Advisory Council, the War Supply Board, the Subsidization Committee, the Transport Advisory Board and other boards and committees.

(a) Food Control.

30. The legal framework of Food Control was created shortly before the outbreak of war by the enactment of the Food and Essential Commodities (Control) Ordinance, 1939,* and the Essential Commodities (Reserves) Ordinance, 1939**. These Ordinances were administered under the directions of the Director of Medical Services as Controller of Supplies and it was not until March, 1942 that the seriousness of the supply position warranted the establishment of a separate Department of Food Control. This was effected by means of the Food Control Ordinance, 1942***, which replaced the Food and Essential Commodities (Control) Ordinance of 1939. A Food Controller was appointed to administer the new Ordinance, and, at the same time, was appointed a Competent Authority for the purposes of Regulation 46 of the Defence Regulations, 193fl****, which empowered him to make such orders as he deemed necessary to regulate the production of, and trade in, articles of any description "in the interests of defence or the efficient prosecution of the war, or for maintaining supplies and services essential to the life of the community".

31. Food Control policy is directed from a headquarters in Jerusalem where Divisional Controllers are responsible for various sec-
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* Laws of 1939, Vol. I, page 83.
** Laws of 1939, Vol. I, page 87 .
**** Laws of 194.2, Vol. I, page 5 .
**** Kantrovitch, Vol. I, page 62.

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