The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-21
BRITISH FEEL SURE
OF FOOD SUPPLY
Officials Look for No Interim.
ton in Gathering of
Harvest.
PRICES ARE REGULATED
The Government Takes Actin,
Against Middlemen and in
Favor of Farmers.
PRICES ARE REGULATED

| From the London Times Of du0us. s.
II Is reassuring to know that tho . Il,
Informed are the least apprehensIvc 4
the security of our food supplies Dr.
hcial and other circles familiar with .a.
facts there is complete TRANQUILITY Tho.
must be certain amount OF rourrarg,.
ment OF the imports. but no doubt is fer
as to the ability to make good from othe,
quarters the consignments OF grain fr,.,
the Baltic and the Black Sea. The ain
UP of the gaps Will not necessarily u.s,
demands upon the Atlantic traffic..
| Guiding the Indian contribution-WhicbI /,
| will be unable to bear.
one result of the closing OF the Mort,
Sea trade will be that cargoes which
would have gone to Germany will be in.
tercepted to swell British supplies. Al.
though Germany takes most of her ~
! 100000 100000 O0) worth OF imported
wheat from Russia the quantity that can
be diverted TO English ports is not incon-
siderable.
our own harvest goes on steadily.
though the heavy rains In mIdweek i'm.
| peded progress at critical stage Ths
delay in cartng Is not yet serious, though
slight discoloratlon may result the worv
feature Is that many OF tho uncut crops
| have been badly laid. No harvest %
fewer hands than that OF this country,
| Machinery is employed wherever praoti.
cable. hand moving being restricted 10 the
crops badly broken BY storms.
Expect Little Delay.
Hand reaping VIA be fairly common
this year. but those employed are mostly
over service age, and delay through men
Joining the colors Is not serious. Broken
weather and the wholesale Communicating
of farm horses would be greater hin.
ORANGES. II is to be hoped that the har.
vest field will not be severely depleted
OF horses. a pair of horses are worta
many men In the harvest field in the
weather.
There Is no ground for Impotence 10
the harvesting of the crops beyond the
ordinary desire to save them from undue
exposure AS far as the supply and ma..
kets are concerned both the grower and
the consumer can view the situation with
equanimity. The Intervention Of the Gov.
eminent in regulating prices should sat.
isfy both on this point, while II VII pre-
vent speculative buying by mlddlemtn.
Very little of the new crop has be,a
threshed. but in the country as IN me
town the first excitement Of the war has
subsidized.
Farmers do not welcome official inter.
ference. but they will be content with Pea.
sonable prices when they recognize that
the Government has been moved tu M
tervene on national grounds. Such meas.
ures OF control as are likely to be- Imposed
will entail little Inconvenience either IN
the harvesting or the marketing OF ne
crops
With reference to meat the position
also reassuring There will be a soaGc.t.
OF bacon. but this can be largely balanced
h.r .f.aa. IL ST.. "A
diversion OF the supplies for Germany AMI
France. Complaint has been made ~ if.
high price OF feeding stuffs. This couH,r
Is heavy Importer OF materials used n
the manufacture OF feeding cakes and
meals. A large quantity OF grinding rraa
comes from the Black Sea. but o;h,r
sources are unlikely to he apiyecaoly
affected.
The Farmers Viewpoint.
The prices OF feeding stuffs have
direct bearing upon the cost at whea
milk and meat can be produced, and the
farmer can plead with good reason that
there should be official control OF what he
buys as well as what he sells. while the
same facilities should be provided for The
Introduction of grinding stuffs from The
Far East. Egypt and America as for
bread stuffs.
There is no evidence 10 show that IN.
finished stock has been put upon the mar
ket In abnormal numbers. At this time o'
year there Il always "A scarcity of prime
cattle and sheep. and often stock has %
be cleared in moderate condition for wan.
OF keep. The present season is no eNcep'
ton. The farmer recognizes that Il J;
neither profitable to himself nor econom'
cal to the consumer to sell half finished
stock. In any case the state OF the mar
kets can have little bearing on the matter
since panic would encourage a holding
policy. Still more shortsighted would Z
be 10 draw upon the breeding resources
which could be justified only by pressing
necessity.
There IL an abundance Of potatoes IN
the market or ready for digging. and AL
though other vegetables are limited OWING
to the dry summer, the recent rains VIII
bring on quickly those already In me
ground and facilitate the planting ont o'
sowing OF supplementary areas. The risN
In prices of such articles as potatoes IS