The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-12-28
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Happy New Year to the
Miner Readers.
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las to the wheat situation in
France, Italy, the United King
dom and Belgium, three-year pre-
war average imports from the
United States averaged 1926
600 bushels; from Canada, 112,-
100000 bushels and from else
where 188,478,000 bushels, max
ing a total of $50, 604 900 bushels.
The average production for 1917
is 1913, 10000 bushels, showing a
deficiency for 1917 Of 1876, 9O5, 900
bushels, with a total Of 577,7O9,-
600 bushels in imports required to
maintain normal consumption.
"The Canadian and United
States supplies, upon normal ex-
port basis, fall approximately
35O,OOO,OOO bushels short of the
allied needs, and because Of the
worlds shipping (much dimin-
ished and continuing to diminish
daily, Canada and the United
States must supply not only their
own quota, but that from other
countries as well. If the people
of Canada and the United States
will eat just one. pound less of
wheat flour per week, putting in
it's place one pound of cornmeal,
oatmeal or barley flour, the ex-
port can be increased 10000, 900
bushels, thus reducing the def
cheney to 200,000,00 bushels. The
outcome of the war being a mat
ter Of endurance and endurance,
to a large degree, matter of
food, it is not a difficult problem
to figure food s place in the pres
ent situation.
CHOW as to livestock: Every
one knows the worlds herds are
decreasing, but do they know the
rate of the decrease? There has
been total net decrease of 49,
OS0,000 cattle; 54,500,000 sheep
and 32,425,000 hogs, making a
total decrease ofy115, 005, 900 of
food animals. Of this 100000
marks the decreaselin the produc-
ton of food animals by the West
ern Allies, the remaining $780,
600 showing the decrease in all
other countries combined, includ-
ing the enemies. The pork prob
lem is gravest in the meat situa-
ton. The three-year pre-war
average in hog population was
81, 100000, as against 81 100000
for the fiscal year Of 1861; the
number of hogs slaughtered as a
three-year pre-war average was
SO, 204, 900, as against 64,79S,0OO
for the last year and the average
pre-war export of pork products
in pounds was 992,SS5, 900, as
against 1901, 271 900 for the last
year.
GAS to sugar, France, Italy,
Russia and Belgium were self
supporting before the war, while
the United Kingdom drew its en-
tire supply from exterior sources.
The supply of the United King
dom came to the amount of 70
per cent from countries from
which it now is cut off by the
war. 10 per cent came from the
East Indies and 20 per cent from
the United States and the West
Indies. The prospective 1918
crop in France has diminished to
POI 900 tons, and that of Italy to
$4,000 tons. They are 100000
tons short. The displacement of
United Kingdom supple S
amounts to 1,435, 900 tons. In to-
tai, these three allied countries
must import about 100000 tons
in order to maintain their normal
consumption, and 100000 tons
must come from new sources.
And right here it might be well
to add that asking Americans to
conserve sugar means asking a
cutting of ninety pounds per per-
son per annum as a normal sup
ply, while asking the French to
conserve means cutting an aver
age normal supply per person of
forty-five pounds.
"We are doubly glad to re-
ceive good news from abroad
that news is what most of us are
working for these. days, and we
are glad if there have been folks
abroad of late who have had
enough to eat, but the soldiers
who remain to do the fighting will
not have enough to eat within a
short time, if there continue gen.
eral statements without general
knowledge of the food situation.