320 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



of life could be drawn from whole wheat meal, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, 

 unpearled barley and unpolished rice, less meat, eggs, milk and other foods would 

 be needed, thereby effecting a true economy. The only reform possible must 

 come from the Government which had this question already under consideration, 

 and he hoped that a law would be passed to standardise flour and other cereals. 

 Although the rich have the option of making up for the loss of vital properties 

 in the flour by the substitution of other foods, the poor, who live largely on the 

 staff of life, are condemned to buy this deleterious product now on the market, 

 and this League is doing a good work in striving to prove to the poor that their 

 ideas of the value of white bread must be abandoned. 



The three following resolutions were moved and carried at the meeting : 



1. It is resolved that the Government be urged to direct attention to the 

 importance of utilising during war time whole cereals, especially whole wheat 

 meal (ioo per cent.) (finely ground), whole wheat flour (about 80 per cent.), 

 containing less indigestible woody fibre, oatmeal, unpearled barley, and 

 unpolished rice, as they retain essential nutritive substances removed from 

 ordinary cereal foods. Their adoption will reduce the consumption of meat 

 as advised by the Board of Trade and help to promote the healthy economical 

 nourishment of the people. The general use of finely-ground wheat meal would 

 be an increase of over 25 per cent, to the bread supply of the nation in addition 

 to providing a more substantial and nutritious food for the people. 



2. It is resolved that the Government be asked to take measures to prevent 

 the abstraction, without notification to the public, from whole meal, wheat meal, 

 and household flour of the germ of wheat and of the strong gluten found in 

 flours commercially designated " patents," and also to prevent the sale, without 

 notification to the public, of flour which has been bleached, "improved" or 

 otherwise adulterated. 



3. It is resolved that these resolutions be sent to the Prime Minister, the 

 Presidents of the Local Government Board, the Board of Agriculture, the Board 

 of Trade, the Board of Education, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the 

 National War Savings Committee, appealing to them to lead public opinion to 

 recognise the importance of this subject ; and that education authorities all over 

 the country and women's societies be asked to co-operate in this educational 

 campaign and thus help their country in this time of national need. 



Dr. S. Rideal, F.I.C., J. P., in moving the third resolution, gave a valuable 

 piece of information when he showed up the fact that our only statute regulating 

 the sale of good bread was formulated as far back as 1836, and that, although 

 this Act stated of what ingredients bread might consist, it made no provision 

 whatever for the punishment of any persons who might use these ingredients in 

 an adulterated form. 



The Proportional Representation Society 



This Society held its annual meeting on July 21 at the Westminster Palace 

 Hotel, London, with the Rt. Hon. Lord Parmoor of Frieth, K.C.V.O., in the 

 chair. It was evident from the Report and the general tenor of the speaking 

 that the movement for proportional representation is steadily gaining ground ; and 

 Mr. Humphreys, the Secretary, testified to the warm appreciation which he had 

 found for the scheme during his tour in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, 

 and Canada. In several places, he said, it had been actually put in practice with 

 very satisfactory results. Col. Anderson, in supporting the first resolution, said 

 that the present party system was "an invention of the Devil" to keep people 

 away from each other who ought to be working together ; that Parliament should 



