Americus times-recorder., 1915-05-12

animals, whose further export, how
ever, has been forbidden. Meat also
has been exported in large quantities,
Germany taking in February this year
alone about 8,75O,0O0 pounds of pork
and Great Britain 100000 pounds
from Holland. The price of first quail
| ity beef, liveweight, wholesale, has
gone up since August last from an av-
erage of 16 cents to 18 cents a pound,
while the retail price has increased
from % to 26 cents a pound. Pork,
liveweight, wholesale, which cost in
August 1-2 cents a pound, rev fetch
es IS 1-2 cents a pound, while the re-
tail butchers price has risen in. the
same time from an average of about
! 19 cents to about 28 cents a pound.
Potatoes form one of the products of
which Holland always possesses a
surplus, and the question of their
profitable export is an important con-
sideration. A large part of the culti-
waited land in Holland is planted with
them, the total extent being about
100000 acres, most of it in the four
northern provinces. The quantity of
the crop produced annually is about
! 100000 tons valued at about $28,00G-
OO0 About 10000 tons of this guam
! tity is aground into potato -four, for
which since the war began there has
been an enormous demand from Ger
many. There was also a greater de-
mand for potatoes in Holland itself
owing to the presence of so many
Belgian refugees and also to the use of
potatoes for cattle feed instead of oil
cake, which had become high in price.
At one time there was a danger of a
shortage of potatoes in this country in
consequence of the increased exports
and the Minister of Agriculture for
time prohibited their export as a pre-
cautionary measure in order to keep
encies. Several of the larger cities
bought up stocks at the same time
but the municipalities are now finding
they made a mistake, for the potatoes
are still on their hands and some of
them are rotting. The exports in the
first seven months of the war reached
total of 100000 tons or only $4,000
tons less than in the entire year of
1918, while the exports of potato -four
amounted from November 1914 till
March 1915 to about $4,000 tons or
nearly $4,000 tons in excess of the ex-
port in the same period of 19131914.
The high prices paid by Germany
made the local price mount and the
Government found itself compelled to
fix a maximum price for retail selling,
as the working classes had begun to
feel the pinch.
Cabbages and other green vegeta-
bles have also become more expens-
i've since Germany has been calling for
more and more imports of truck gar
den produce. The truck gardeners are
naturally making good profits and the
Dutch consumers find themselves com
PEELED to pay more for their vegeta-
bles. The truck farmers, however, are
making strong opposition to proposal
to regulate or prohibit exports of these
products, which they declare would
ruin their business. They argue that
the sale by them of their produce to
foreigners brings money into Holland
which otherwise would not reach this
country and which helps the people to
tide over the hard times brought about
by the war. Meantime the Dutch |
housewife is compelled to pay more
for her food and sees no benefit COM
ing to her from the increased exports |