The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-06-15

figures are known In Germany and
in neutral countries, but not In Eng
land or the United States. Unless
the United States and her allies caa
very greatly reduce the tonnage de-
stroyed by German submarines dur
ing the next six months. the food
conditions in England. France and
Italy will make 1t practically impossi-
Bile for those nations to keep on fight
ing.
by killing of their cattle and
breeding stock England and France
probably can get through next year
il their imports of foodstuffs are Is
per cent of normal. Even under
these conditions there will be terri
Bile hardship for the people of those
countries The wholesale slaugh-
ter of their breeding stock will be a
calamity.
Food status in 4. y.
"As things stand today in this
country, it does not seem to me that
IL is possible for us to deliver to the
allies more than So per cent of their
normal food imports. This is far
below the breaking point-that is.
the point at which our allies can con-
tinue mlitarily effective.
Unless every person in this coun-
try so avoids waste and helps produc-
ton as to increase the volume Of
food we will be able to send abroad,
there will he the Russian revolution
over again in one or all OF the allied
countries.
"The imperative. immediate neces-
sity is the passage by Congress OF
the food control bill. Unless this
bill is passed within the next two
weeks. it will be too late to be of any
use in handling this years harvest.
II the people of this country knew
the dangers that confront them and
their allies, they would demand in
slant Congressional action on this
measure.
Allies Not Buying.
Already agents for Scandinavian
countries are here buying wheat iu-
lures against the new crop. Our al
lies are not buying here now, but
they are getting FESTIVE and unless
this bill is passed quickly, putting
control OF the distribution of this
years crop into administration hands,
the allies, too, will soon be bidding
up prices.
Under restrained competition
-four at $50 a barrel is possible Tor
New York over night. Our allies
buying with our own money will pay
any price to get food. Such comIc-
titiou and such prices would be very
likely to bring on revolution in this
country. The only thing that could
avoid ii would be to adjust the social
order on an entirely new basis.
THE Government must at once be
given the authority to restrict COM
petition in the buying of staples. Take
the case of sugar for example. Raw
sugar is now selling for six cents.
pound in Cuba, three times its nor
NAL price. The Allies have one man
doing all their buying there, but the
United States refners have between
fifteen and twenty buyers ali bidding
against each other for raw sugar.
Ii we put one buyer into Cuba to
nuy for the whole United States, dis
tributing to the refners a. a fair
price according to their respective
needs, we could buy Cuba's raw sd
gar at four cents a pound-an emf
nently fair price to the producer
aud still reduce the price Of refined
sugar in the United States ~ or 8
cents pound.
One Instance.
This is only one of hundreds Of
instances where the prices Of food
stuffs are making it impossible to
the working people Of this country
20 properly nourish themselves, and
the situation will get worse instead
of better unless the Government is
given the authority to control it with
Al iron hand.
II have he utmost confidence in
the ability of the American people to
meet whatever situation they have
to meet, just as they have done so in
tho past; but it is necessary that
they know what it is they must do.
And the only way they can know this
is to be told by those who have first
hand information as TO the facts.
There can be no doubt that in
many sections of this country there