New-York tribune., 1913-07-15
SAYS MILITARY COULD
FEED CITY IN STRIKE
Officer on QuartermaSter'S Staff
Points Out How Food Trains
Could Be Moved.
USE TRANSPORTS, TOO
Threatened Tie-Up of Trans
portation, However, Fails to
Hurt Market, Despite
Famine Talk There.

FAMINE Talk Inere.
The trainmen arc not going 10 strike
so there is not going To- be any chance ol
the food famine for Now York which tne
commission men were gloomily prophesE-
ing Yesterday az bound To loiIo" 'He
threatened paralysis Of the uansporta-
tlon facilities by which country products
are daily brought to town in almost
countless thousands of pounds, quarts
dozens and bushels.
But even II the strike had developed.
the city would not have starved. for the
government would. II the situation nad
become serious enough. have seen tnat
the food came just inc same. according
TO a high officer on the quartermaster :
STAR.
"Sustenance OF the cities Of the coun-
try i'm an emergency. such as attack oy
an enemy. is one OF the big problems
considered in tho military arrangements
of the country" he said. Had Ne"
York been cut off from. its iood supply
tie President would Lave the power. 3ud
would doubtless us, it. 10 feed TIE city.
Military Would Man Food Trains.
"He would call upon the dUartermaS-
ter's department To tackle the job. Tn
doubtedN trains would be Communicated
and run by the governments own men. To
hiring the necessary food in. If that
proved Inadequate. there are the trans
ports. They would be loaded at other
ports and there would have been enough
food FOR every one.
1T would be serious problem. Just
how serious IL would be Is realized bE
the government and the Quartermaster
Department would be ready to handle H.
II would be a serious thing to interfere
with the government trains bringing the
food i'm and the strikers would not dare
do IL"
Feeding New York would be about the
biggest job the quartermaster ever
tackled lie would have TO deliver more
than $500. 900 quarts Of milk every day
to the city II he did the job as well as
II is being done now. AS TO beef lamp
and other kinds Of meat. he would have
TO provide between $50 and 200 carloads
a day.
The city likes eggs. butter and cheese
pretty well too. The busy quartermas-
ter unless he wanted to have his cus-
toners complain. would have TO deliver
more than 900 600 pounds OF butter,
200. 600 pounds Of cheese ond 100000 or
s. 900. 600 eggs. not TO mention the tons
OF fruit and vegetables brought In every
day
we have no big supplies Of stores we
could draw upon" the officer said as he
went into these details OF the problem.
ITO feed our own men no~ We have TO
60 into the open market n that mar
ket were cut of In New York We would
have to go maybe as far as Chicago
But We would do H. We would run
trains all the way through manned by
government crews"
n the strike vas carried on over
period of several weeks a CorrcspondnslF
more impressive set of totals would have
TO bc taken into account For iustancr,
for the week ending July H. more than
6oo 90 bushels Of wheat and 10000 bushcls
of corn came into the city. while there
were more than $500 barrels anI nearly
2oOo sacks Of nour.
Enough IN Storage to Last Weeks.
The cold storage supplies already I'm the
city were suggested by one commission
merchant as food magazines from which
the city could draw is supplies for a time
lie said no one could give an intelligent
estimate Of just now great this supply
is. but he thought II would last for three
or four weeks. and would keep the prices
from soaring Immediately.
There was. however. difference Ct
opinion as 10 this Another merchant
said that within twenty-four hours. unless
some way were found 90 bring IN new
supplies. prices would increas" - per cent
at jump and then 80 right on MP. Tho
cold storage supplies. he said, consisted
only Of meat. butter and eggs. but a 10
other commodities such a fruit and
vegetables. the city lives. he said, practi-
cally from hand 10 mouth. being entirely
dependent upon the daily receipts brought
I'm by the trains
Despite the famine talk OF the commits
sion men, the threatened strike did uot
have any apprecablc eject on the market
yesterday. Receipts and demand. IL Was
said AZ the Produce Exchange and the
Mercantile Exchange. were normal. and
the possible shortage resulting from the
strike had not been considered by the
traders.