Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-14
The PROVISION OF FOOD

We import our food from practical
ly every country on the face of the
globe, to the value OF 275 millions
sterling per annum, rather less than q
third OF which Is credited to British
Oversee Possessions. The largest In
dividual contribution to this amount
935.000,000 worth of food, comes from,
Argentina. OF other countries outside
Europe the United States comes next
with about two millions less. followed
by India with twenty-five millions
Canada with twenty, Australia with
fourteen, and New Zealand with ten
millions, and so on through a long
list OF eighty or ninety separate coun
tries, down to Afghanistan's modest
contribution Of a636 worth of dried
raisins In these bills (the figures
given are those for 1912 the largest
amounts that we paid TO the respective
countries we're for meat from Argen'
tina, wheat and tea from India, wheat
from Canada, wheat and meat from
Australia, mutton from New Zealand,
and wheat and bacon from the United
States. There is still one figure to
be added which surpasses all the rest
in interest, not on account of its mag
nitude but for precisely the opposite
reason, and because of the tendency
which II indicates. Eight years ago
our imports Of chilled and frozen meat
from the United States we're valued
at over G5,000.000. In 1912 they had
sunk to 215,000. This is by far the
most striking change that is at pre-.
sent taking place in the food trade
conditions or the world. 1t means
that the once great export meat trade
of the United States is now practical-
ly nonexistent. and that unless the
Americans take steps TO increase their
home production of this staple article
of food they will not only cease to
export, but will become to an increas-
ing extent rival buyers In the markets
of the world with ourselves and other
nations. We are also threatened with
the same menace in the egg trade by
the United States and Germany, both
of which, instead of being able to
supply their own demand for eggs, are
now buying from Denmark and Rus.
STA and other countries from whom we
have hitherto derived supplies.
In Europe there are three countries
Denmark, the Netherlands, and
Germany-each of which exports to us
food to the value of ten millions ster-
ling or more. OF these the Danish
and Dutch totals of twenty-one and
fourteen millions are the most re-
markable. Nearer home the case of
ireland is even more striking. Not
many people realize (eyen under the
despised Union) she is Great Britain s
largest proyisioner, with total of
930.O00,000 worth of food per annum.
The general reflection inevitably
suggested by the article dealing with
the above facts is the alarming ex-
tent of our dependence on foreign inn.
ports. Year by year 1t increases
With the exception OF sugar, which
for various reasons remains at the
same figure Of e25,000,000, the re.
spective values of our principal i'm.
ported foods from all countries. reck-
oned in millions of pounds sterling,
have during the last 20 years risen as
follows: Wheat from % to As, butter
from Is to %, bacon from s to 20,
beef from 4 to 20, mutton from to 10,
fruit from to II, and eggs from
to 8 millions. That 10 undoubtedly a
disquieting state OF affairs At pre-
sent we produce less than one-fifth OF
the wheat which we consume, and the