The Washington times., 1916-10-11
STATE CONTROL OF FOODS

The British government has taken
steps to assume general control of
the country's supplies of wheat and
-four. 1t has been reasonably certain
that this move would be forced. ever
since the crop shortage Of the cur
rent year became so certain and so
serious as to make apparent that a
crisis in the food problem Of war
ring countries was at hand.
When the story Of this war il
finally written, with full documen.
tary material in hand, it will be
shown that the crop shortage of 1916
was disaster. for the allies, only
second to the munitions shortage OF
1914. Naturally, the allied nations
are making as good a mouth as pos
sible; but their position Is critical
They are not organized, as is Ger
many, to take care of their needs
with their own products. Germany
was prepared, in this regard, as
painstakingly as in the matter OF
war material and soldierly organi.
cation. The allies, confident Of their
sea control, did not, even after hos.
tilities had begun, esteem it needful
to undertake herculean efforts ia
produce, at home, their require
ments of food; they could not have
done it if they had tried. Their cal.
culation was perfectly correct, pro.
vided only that normal supplies Of
foodstuffs were available in the ex.
porting countries Of the world. They
needed every industrial resourc,
they could command to produce dis.
tinctly war materials; they pre-,
ferred to use their producing capac,
ity in this direction, and take the
chance Of being able to import food
stuffs.
The dangers Of unrestricted pri
vate control of foodstuffs, under
such circumstances, have been curl
ously demonstrated by British ex
perience, Early in the war specula
tors rushed into the markets anC
bought up supplies of all kinds o.
foods, holding them for panic prices
The government had to interfere a
that time, and maximum prices, to
gether with many regulations, wer'
enforced.
Despite all these efforts, the in
exorable law of supply and demant
\ has produced a different sort O.
crisis. 1t is now explained, on be
half Of the board of trade, that tn,
spectators who were rushing food
stuffs into the country at the begin
ming of the war, are today just a
anxious to avoid large imports a
they were then to promote them
The reason is that, with the shift
ing fortunes of war, it is suspecte,
that military successes for the al
lies may at any time open gateway
of access to great stores of grail
now barred out. These, particular,
the supposed surplus that Russi;
possesses but cannot move, would
if once released, bring prices crash
ing down, and the spectators il
England and France, if caught car
rying large stocks that they ha,
bought at high prices, would b.
pinched hard. 1t would mean ruiz
to many of them.
Private capital, in short, simpl,
has not the capacity, even wheI
tempted by the possibility and tn
privilege of making big profits, t
meet this situation. The govern
ment's responsibility will have to ge
back of this market condition. s
the government will hereafter man
age all grain importations. If it
compelled to buy at excessive price.
and later to lose by reason of tn
opening of new sources of suppl,
why, the government can stand tn
loss better than anybody else car
Controlling the whole business,
can use its authority to prevent eS
tremes either way; and it will b
able to maintain such a reserve o
hand as is necessary to the securit
of the country. 1t has become yer
certain that private enterprise car
not longer be relied upon to do this