El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-11-11
Without American Grain,
Starvation VIII Threaten
Whole Of Europe.
NEUTRAL LANDS
ARE NOT EXEMPT
Claim Is Made That Ger
many VIII Suffer Least
And France Most.

- oTTERDAM. Holland. Nov. H.
An embargo on exports Of Amsri~
- can food supplies to warning ma
lions is anticipated, and predictions are
being made Of a general European fam
| inc should the war continue through
another u months.
The new Rotterdam Courant draws
a dark picture OF the conditions which
are to be expected in the third year OF
the war and predicts a terrible famine
in all belligerent and neutral countries
of Europe. If the conflict does not end
some time in the next Il months The
paper says
Misery Is Inevitable.
Awful misery is Inevitable through
out Europe II the var lasts another
year Germany probably viii suffer
least. because she has perfected the
control Of her scant. but not insuffi-
Gent food supplies since the beginning
OF the war, but the other belligerents
and the neutrals.. who until now have
relied on imports will find themselves
IN very serious straits
The normal export OF Russian food
StuI1s TO western Europe is cut off
completely and in the United States
this years harvest has been so poor
that the exports of grain. vegetable
and meat viii decrease at least so per-
cent
There is danger that the American
government may find Itself compelled
to proclaim an embargo on foodstuffs.
II the prices Of wheat and other neces-
saries continue to jump.
South America Cut Off.
South America could furnish largs
quantities of foodstuffs, but they can
not be transported The ships svaila-
bic at the beginning OF the world con-
flict have been reduced nearly 5000. 900
tons by the German submarine war and
hi -
needed for the army Transports ton
service OF the allies
Hundreds Of thousands Of tons OF
wheat and corn bought BY the bsllfg-
srent and neutral governments and pri-
vate European firms in South America
are rotting at the docks, as the short
age Of bottoms makes their shipment
impossible
According to official reports from
PetrOgrad the number Of cattle in Rus
STA has decreased over $4,000. 900 head
IN the last two years This means that
Russia would not be able to export
meat even If the war should end to-
morrow
Conditions Worse in France.
In France. where agriculture has al
most been destroyed BY lack OF labor
ers, conditions are as bad as they can
be Aside from the large districts in
the hands of the German invaders. 40
percent Of the land is no longer under
cultivation and the population viii
SAdENE IL the imports OF EQOCS cannot
be increased. or at least kept at their
present height
England has not suffered much az
riculturally. because she has kept large
mum bers Of men at home to work in
the fields. but as her harvest was never
half sufficient for the population. she
viii have to continue to import food OF
all kinds from all parts OF the world.
How this is 10 be done. IN view OF the
activity Of the U-boats and the short
age in the principal exporting coun-
tries. rapidly becomes a most serious
problem
NeutrnIs Also VIII Suffer.
The European neutrals are no bet
ter off than the beligerents and viii
also be threatened with starvation II
the war drags on much longer. Holland
Denmark and Sweden. under normal
conditions. could produce enough food
for their populations. but their produc-
ton has been greatly impaired BY the
lack of saltpeter and phOsphates which
are kept from them through the Brit
ish blockade
The potato harvest OF Holland has
year. because no fertilizer could be OBJ
tanned
Conditions in Spain are already de-
plorable and Switzerland had to make
q commercial deal with Germany to OBJ
tain at least some grain. because the
population cannot exist on the limited
wheat imports permitted by the allies
Production and import OF fOodstuffs
are decreasing everywhere and the
rope. As things stand now. there seems
to be no escape from the threatening
universal starvation"