The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-06

, two months to provision the whole city
for a siege lasting half q year. Contrast
with that the present facilities Of New
York. VIII ch reterate could not provide
US with food for fifteen days"
MIN wsaiA he Cat OF.
Mr.. Miller said that of course the milk
supply would be cut of at once. He was
not able to give offhand the supplies
at hand In necessities for q period OF two
weeks. but he read from his report shortly
to be made to the Mayor the following
figures showing food supply Of New York
Meat. 100000 tons: butter. $500 tons
eggs, 100000 crates. thirty dozen to the
crate: flour. 100000 tons: poultry.
dressed. 10000 tons vegetables and
fruits. 2i,63s carloads: cheese. 1880
tons cereals. $4,000 tons: canned gods.
$4,000 tons potatoes. $4,000 carloads.
Mr.. Miller said that while perhaps only
an expert could read the meaning Of those
figures accurately they meant. according
TO his investigation. that the available
supply Of food was indeed comparatively
small. And he added:
The wholesale markets are relatively
In the same position as people who live
In fats and tenement houses who must
depend on the daily supply Of tho corner
grocer or the butcher for their food. The
on the daily supply for their food"
Great Distress Now.
Mr.. Miller said that neither siege by
man or nature 10 needed to prove that
lack Of proper distribution OF outside food
supplies is causing great distress In this
city. During his investigation Mr.. Miller
has made friends with and become tho
confidant OF many small tradesmen. who
know better than any one else the condi.
lions In the districts which they cover.
He cited as an example Of the pressing
need a story told him by little German
travelling man who sells soap in a dis
trict from Fifty-ninth to 18th street east
Of Fifth avenue The travelling man told
Mr. Miller that recently. but not during
what was to many the crisis OF the big
storm. he had seen a woman enter a IT.
tie shop with her five children. They ap-
peared to be half frosen. After warming
themselves at the stove the mother bought
n 5 cent loaf OF bread and two dried her
rings. These she divided into six parts.
one for each Of the children and one for
herself And this with q glass Of water
seemed to have been their food supply
for the day.
This incident, Mr. Miller said. was only
one OF hundreds that had been brought to
his attention, not by the agents OF char
ity but BY chance observers. He said
tnht FcpOTtS VI CottittutetOh wiz ptoW
that many public school teachers provide
from their comparatively small earnings
food for many OF the children who attend
their classes, % obviously underfed a. to
excite pity.
Mr. Miller said that the price Of food 10
rising steadily In New York because the
channels OF nupply and distribution are NO
ciogged that foodstuffs cannot get In even
In good weather.
'Just give me q series Of markets to
which carloads OF stun can be brought
from the West and properly distributed
and I will put the calamity shouters out
OF business" he said. One man testified
that while IL took only two hours for hu-
man beings to reach New York from the
Oranges Il took from eight days to two
weeks to bring produce In.
There are many times In the year when
New York's potential food supply In rot
ting on or In the ground for lack Of proper
or adequate facilities OF transportation
That Is your problem In peace or war"