Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-20
FOOD FAsIINE2

Another noted railway magnatc hai
warned the nation that food famin'
is probably pending In the United
states This time II is VIM. { Brown
nrcsIdent OF the New York Contra
lines.
In an address before the New Eng
land Railroad club. Mr.. Brown de-
cIarcd that within Ave years this coun
try will be calling upon other nations
for foodstuffs with which to support Its
hungry millions.
The only alternative, he thought
would be to increase production per
eerc by more Intelligent METHODS
Otherwise he regards famine as IN
cvitablc within half decade
Such speech coming at what many
regard as a veritnble Hood-time oil ma
tIonal prosperity is to be taken 'no
more seriously because 1t is, substanu-
allv a relteration OF the similar woros
of Mr.. Hill. which were referred TO AT
length in these columns some time ago.
lake Mr.. Hill, this flnancier quotes
eomc OF the fncts on which his con-
sclusions arc based, and finds that tine
most portentous cloud discernible on
the political or economic horizon Is the
steady, relentless increase In the price
Of everything that goes to make up a
living"
He shows that with a normal
Increase and no disease TO de-
plcte our herds. values have IN
creased marvelously. Notwithstand-
ing the advent of the automobile,
horses and mules show an Increase In
value of more than 1so per cent. The
nroducts of the forest make an equally
marvellous showing. Anthracite ana
b,tuminous coal have advanced ~ ana
10 nor cent. respectively During this
time farm land in all parts of the west
and Middle West has fully doubled In
value.
Investigating the effect of the in
crease of gold on prices he decides that
tho failure to increase the product or
our farms in something like the ratio
of Increase In consumption Is eXertlng
moro than three times the effect upon
cost OF living than the increase OF gold
Is having.
1t was pointed out In these columns
a few weeks ago that there Is a direct
relation between the quantity of gold
that is the basis of value and the gem
cral Industrial condition. The gold
production OF the world for the year
1895 was approximately 500, Psi, 600. For
1909 it was approximately s445s 900. 900
an increase OF 120 per cent.
Notwithstanding Mr.. Browns state
ment. some may think he Is not giving
due emphasis to this dilutlon OF the
worlds medium Of exchange. But 1t
should be borne In mind that the In
crease OF 120 per cent In the gold
product OF any one year would not add
120 per cent to the worlds basis OF
value as represented by gold coin. The
actual addition TO the amount of the
circulating medium from an increase
of 120 per cent In annual production
would be small indeed. yet 1t would be-
come appreciable II production contin-
ued at such rate for several decades.
We think. however. that the railroad
president Is right as to tho main
Idea, namely, that scarcity results from
the fact that consumption Is rapidly
overtaking production.
Thus he shows that the crop grown
In 1905 has been almost consumed. "The
coal mined last year has been burned.
but the gold produced year after year
piles up: and as 1t accumulates. 1t
takes moro gold to buy bushe of
wheat, a suit OF clothes. pound of
beefsteak. a sack OF flour, or any other
necessities OF life"
For this reason" he says. the pay
OF labor has steadily advanced and
must continue TO advance in some fair
ratio with the increase In the cost of
things that labor must buy. To put
It in another way. wages must go up
In about the same proportion that the
purchasing power OF the money the la
borer earns goes down"