The reports of the Food Committee, presented for the information of Luton Town Council on Tuesday [October 23rd, 1917], were very interesting and referred to four staple articles of food - milk, sugar, bread and potatoes.

Meat maximum prices varied in beef from 2s per lb for rump steak to 1s 1d per lb for thin flank; pork 1s 10d per lb for loin to 6d per lb for the head; mutton and lamb from 1s 7d per lb for legs and loins to 1s 2d for breast. The list is to be forwarded to the Food Controller, with the information that "the committee understand it is impossible to sell at lower prices because the butchers have to buy animals at competitive prices in the local auction markets".

In regard to bread, the committee were of the opinion "there is no need for the sale to be permitted in Luton of bread containing fats".

In connection with the Potato Order, 27 wholesale and 189 retail dealers had applied for registration, and a sub-committee was appointed to deal with the applications.

Consideration of the Food Controller's desire for a food economy campaign had been deferred at the meeting on October 15th.

Alderman Edwin Oakley said he hoped there was going to be no "corner" in milk. From information received, he did not think either the milk retailers or the Food Committee were entitled to ask 8d per quart for milk during November and the following months. That matter would have to be taken up again

He was given to understand that at Markyate milk was still selling at 5d per quart. The committee were not prepared, he thought, to allow 8d to be charged for the winter months. He was confident that representations would be made to the Food Committee in regard to that, and they would be prepared to meet them, and perhaps the milk sellers and retailers would also have to be prepared.

The sub-committee had dealt with the applications from potato dealers, and very carefully dissected them. A considerable number had been thrown out as dealers in seed potatoes. That was a question of vital interest in the Potato Order and had to be very carefully dealt with.

There had been, and possibly would be, a tendency for people to pose as sellers of seed potatoes in order to get a few extra pence per lb from the public. That might or might not be detrimental to the public, but had to be carefully guarded against. He hoped the matter would be settled in the interests of sellers and the public.

In regard to meat prices, they were a bit high in some cases, but the butchers could charge less and could enter into competition as to whom should sell the cheapest. It had to be considered that the bulk of the butchers had to buy all their meet alive in the markets, and that made a considerable difference and was different from the position of London butchers, who could go into the meat market and buy a cheap line.

The sugar question had been fairly satisfactorily settled. It had been a huge task, and the Town Clerk and his staff had done splendidly and in such a way that on the returns they had obtained the committee could work other foods, if necessary.

On the question of the proposed Food Economy Campaign, Mayor Alderman John Staddon said the committee had discussed the question, and in their opinion there was going to be a huge waste of time and waste of money spent on printing and campaigning, which must come to grief quite as much as the National Service Scheme did a few months back.

With that view in mind, the committee had passed this resolution: "Having regard to past experiences in the country in regard to voluntary campaigns and measures, this committee is strongly of opinion that no adequate result will follow from any further campaign for ensuring economy in food consumption, and consider that the Government should adopt the only equitable course of boldly and promptly enforcing such economy by compulsory rationing such articles of food as may be necessary, as in the case of sugar, and thus eliminating wasteful and unremunerative expenditure of previous campaigns."

That resolution had been sent to the Food Controller with a request that the Executive Officer (the Town Clerk) should have an opportunity of seeing Sir Arthur Yapp [Director of Food Economy] and discussing the matter with him.

[The Luton News: Thursday, October 25th, 1917]