The Washington herald., 1916-07-23
Warning with Foods.

Though the war is nearing the end OF its
second year, Germany still is reaping the rich
reward of preparedness and she will continue
the harvest not only until the end OF the war
but after peace is made. Perhaps the best way
to estimate what preparedness has meant to
Germany is to imagine what her plight would
be today if she had not been prepared.
The world has been shown that Germany
prepared herself to the last minute detail, a
preparedness that may roughly be divided into
that of her army and that of the nation to sus-
tain the army. To have prepared the army and
left the nation unprepared would have been folly.
events have shown, and the war enters its
third year, the preparedness of the nation daily
grows more important in staving OH defeat
This is because the war is reaching a stage
where food is becoming more important as a
weapon. Britain established her blockade to cut
off Germany's food as the war started,
but after two years the Germans still eating
and Herr Won Schorlemer, minister of agricul-
ture, says the nation need not worry about food
for at least another year.
With her military prepared before the war
was begun, Germany was free to put the nation
in the highest state of preparedness for long
struggle-to give the governments attention to
the work of keeping the nation in food. And
that Germany today has food is due probably
entirely to this governmental direction. England
we'll may marvel that Germany, shut off from
the world by the British blockade, is not starv-
ing.
The caught Britain unprepared. Her first
work was to raise army and the problem of
recruiting complex. The second task was
that of supplying the army with munitions and
that problem also was difficult These works
kept the government occupied it could not
give the necessary attention to insuring steady
and full supply Of food for the period of a long
war
And just Britain has paid dearly for her
lack of military preparedness she is beginning
to pay for her failure to guard against short
age in food OF course Britain has adopted a
number of measures to conserve food supplies
but conditions beginning to reveal these
measures weak and almost wholly Intellectual
So today England, finding that the starvation
Of Germany still seems distant must see to it
that she herself is not starved, and England
is just beginning a task that Germany has been
working on for two years. Tardy in starting
England may be expected to accomplish her work
with the degree Of success that marked
the organization OF the greatest volunteer army
the world has seen.
OF course Germany never will starve no mat
ter how tight the British blockade may be drawn
or how far the German armies are driven back
over the fields that have been titled But the
German food supplies may shrink so that prices
will soar far beyond the reach Of the people and
the clamor for peace grow so loud it cannot be
stilled Then Germany would face the necessity
OF asking peace on the terms of her enemies.
This has been the object of the British starva-
ton blockade and the condition that England
has been seeking to force Germany soon may
confront the English people. OF course England
never will be reduced to actual starvation With
her ships free to sail the she can call on
the world for food and get it, long after the
German people have been put on starvation
ratons.
But the cost of food in England is steadily
increasing and Englands problem is to keep this
price down until the prices in Germany are be-
yond the reach OF the people. That England
will solve the problem in some way is not to BE-
doubted and the world will watch with keen
interest how she enters upon this second great
phase Of the war.