The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-10-20
THE. FOOD SITUATION IN FRANCE

ones self. Now, the ration is served
to each person separately. STILL one
is fairly sure of ones sugar in a res
taurant. is ',, - -
But If one Is keeping house, one
finds that one must have a sugar
card" permitting him to buy a stipu-
lated amount Of sugar in month.
The allowance is ! Il pounds of sugar
a month, If three meals a day are
taken at home. 1 pound if two meals
are taken at home and y pound if
only one meal is taken at home.
This means for the person who takes
three meals a day at home 1S pounds
of sugar a year. The annual sugar
consumption per person in America
is IS pounds:
One would not be likely to find this
out, il one were living in restaurants
in France, but one finds it out very
soon, if one is keeping house.
1t is soon learned, also, that the
sugar card" does not mean that one
sugar a month, but only that one is
permitted to buy that much, provided
a dealer can be found who has it to
sell. A dealer who has sugar will
not sell it to anyone who comes in.
He sells only to his own regular GUS
toners.
Wheat Situation in France.
Let me give you the official fig
ures on the wheat question in France,
so that there can be no question.
It is estimated that there will be
a deficit of approximately 100000
tons of wheat in France over the
period from Sept. I, 1917,- to Sept.
I, 1918.
The normal annual consumption of
wheat in France is from 100000
tons to 100000 tons. France has
always been an importer of wheat,
her average production for several
years before the war being 100000
tons, or slightly less than the con-
sumption. Since the beginning of the
war her production has fallen off
radically. In 1914 it was 100000
tons, in 1915. 6,O65,0O0 tons and in
1916, $4,000 tons, while for this
year the crop is estimated at 100000
tons with a possibility of rising to
4,50Q.000 tons, leaving for the period
from September, 1917, to September,
1913, deficit Of nearly 5,O0O,0 900
tons, which must be made up by i'm
ports
Where can those imports come from
except from America? Italy by rea-
son of her position in the Mediter-
ranean takes the first toll from the
wheat of the far east, while England.
of whom the far eastern wheat pro-
ducing countries are colonies, takes
the remainder. France can get a
little from South Africa. Argentina
has stopped the expectation of wheat
This country is the only resource left
to France.
Bread Allowance.
The French soldiers allowance Of
bread was a trifle over ~ pounds a
day. On account of the shortage of
wheat it has been necessary to cut this
ration to 1-3 pounds day. And it
is not necessary to say that only dire
necessity will countenance the cut
ting of the soldiers ration.
Another thing that has happened is
bread cards. in some localities.
There is no national "bread cards. in
in some parts of the country it has
been necessary to restrict the use Of
bread by local regulations. have in
mind several letters from my friends
among the peasants of Brittany, tell
ing of the privations they were en-
during because their bread was cut
down so much. Remember that
bread is the chief article of diet
among those people.
France Suffers in Silence.
Do not think they complained.
There is no finer-souled, stronger or
greater people in the world than the
French peasants. They are heroes
among a nation of heroes.