@drmaryfraser
As the First World progressed into
1917 with a crisis of diminishing food supplies and soaring food prices, the
discourse of food hoarding became part of the policeman’s role. Hoarding became
prominent following Conscience Week on 11th February 1917 when Food
Control Committees gave an amnesty until 25th February to allow the
surrender of all hoarded food, which was to be sold and the proceeds given back
to the person surrendering. But although the results were disappointing, the
message that hoarding was a serious matter became well known and was
everybody’s business to control it. But further measures were needed as questions
in the House of Commons in March 1917 asked for stricter control noting that
poorer people were becoming dissatisfied at seeing the indulgence of the rich [1].
A furore which spread across Britain and lasted for several weeks was created
in the West Riding of Yorkshire by publication of an article showing the lavish
diets eaten by the wealthy at The Ritz, this fuelled claims that hoarding by
the rich was causing the food shortages. Later a stricter definition of what
constituted hoarding was asked in the House of Commons [2], so that everyone
could be aware of their relatives, friends and neighbour’s habits and could
report them to the police or the food control authorities where they had
suspicions that the law was being infringed.
The Food Hoarding Order of 15th
April 1917 forbade anyone to “acquire any article of food so that the quantity
in his (sic) possession or under his control at any one time exceeds the
quantity required for ordinary use or consumption in his household or
establishment”. Under the Order powers were given to Food Inspectors to enter
any premises where they suspected hoarding, except by food producers and
traders, but the Order was not implemented until early 1918, when the local Food
Committees started to enforce it. Food Inspectors secured convictions, fines and
in some cases imprisonment too, against hoarders.
The police were told that the Food
Hoarding Order gave right of entry to premises where “an offence against the
Regulations is being or has been committed”. Under Section 51 of the Defence of
the Realm Act (DORA) [3], the police could enter the house or building to
“examine, search and inspect” anything that they suspected contravened DORA
Regulations, such as food hoarding, and an officer could seize anything he saw without
written permission from the Food Controller or a Justice of the Peace. Whereas Inspectors
appointed by the Food Controller or the Local Food Control Committee had the
right of search and could seize articles contravening the Food Hoarding Order
without a warrant, the police were warned that “violating … an Englishman’s
right to the privacy of his hearth and home, is not to be lightly exercised”; and
they would be well advised to act with the utmost discretion and with the
permission of their superior officer before attempting such a move [4]. The
police therefore mainly relied on tip-offs from the public, traders and others
with close access to families to report hoarding. A whole system of checking
and controlling the food supply and hoarding had been set up, involving
specially appointed inspectors who could call on police help to bring
convictions. Beveridge shows how publication of convictions of high profile
figures (a best-selling novelist; an Earl’s daughter; a Member of the House of
Commons) brought contravention of the Food Hoarding Order out into the open so
that few could escape.
Bibliography and references
Fraser, M. (2019) Policing the
Home Front 1914-1918: The control of the British population at war. Routledge,
Research Monograph.
[1] House of Commons Debates 28 March 1917 vol 92 cc410-1
[2] Beveridge, W. H.
(1928) British Food Control London:
Humphrey Milford; Oxford University Press. House of Commons Debates
14 February 1918 vol 103 cc280
[3] Defence of the Realm Manual 5th
edition. Revised to February 28th 1918. HMSO p. 164
[4] The Police Review and Parade Gossip Police
Law and Practice. Questions and Answers. 13872. Food Hoarding – Police Right of
Search. March 28th 1918 p. 98
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