Denver labor bulletin., 1917-11-17

Editors Note-Ihe french people
are very much like Americans to the
extent that they prize their independ-
ence and resent efforts of the govern
ment to dictate methods OF eating and
living. They have also been liberal IN
feeding refugees without thought of
their own future welfare. Hence they
now face dire shortage which official
figures closely prove. Farmers IN
America have a wonderful opportun-
ity in helping to restore the agrlcul-
ture of France by furnishing livestock,
both now and after the war.
The French government is very bu-
reaucratic, but the French people do
not like to be overgoverned. They oo-
ject seriously to anything that savors
to them of meddling in mans prl-
vate affairs. For this reason it has
been extremely difficult to get work
able income tax law in France. The
people Immediately rose against the
proposal to give the government the
right to examine their books and find
out if they told the truth about their
incomes, or find out what their IN
comes were, if they failed to make
return. So a scheme was figured out
for taxing a man on seven tunes ms
rent. if he made no income tax return,
or one the government thought too
low. g,
Saving how much or what man shall
eat is, also, getting pretty close TO PRIV
ate affairs, and therefore, the trench
government, knowing intimately the
people il has to deal with, is slow
SHOWN coming to such measures,
even in face of the only too evident
food shortage in the country. There
have been efforts at price fixing, but
thew have not worked satisfactorily,
one reason being that they have not
been national but local. Paris, for ex-
ample. has tried fixing the price of
butter. but il has been found that the
result has been to drive butter away
from Paris to localities where IT could
be sold for what the market would
pay.
National Price Fixing TO Be Tried.
A scheme Of national price fixing Is
to be tried now with beans and pota-
toes. Both Of these crops are far be-
low the requirements Of the country.
| have seen many days when potatoes
could not be bought in Paris, and It
was common thing last winter TO
have to run half over the city to find
a market where green vegetables could
be bought. The national price fixing
scheme for beans and potatoes Will
divide the country into districts and
fix the price for each district, with
penalty for sending either commodity
out of the district without permission.
So far, meat has withstood all ef-
forts to control its consumption
there has been no attempt to conu uol
its price-any yet il is vitality neces-
sary either to control the consumption
of meat in France or to increase the
supply. Otherwise. the end of the war
will see the country so reduced in its
herds that it will take many years to
bring them back again to the point
where France will be once more self
sustaining.
Supply Must Be Increased.
OF course, the thing to do is to in
crease the supply. When country
has had its breadstuffs cut down to
the extent to which France has suf
fered the people naturally fall back on
meat. One might think they would
fall back on vegetables, but the same
reasons that have deprived them of
grains have deprived them of vege-
tables. There have not been the hands
to cultivate the ground. They could
no more raise vegetables than wheat.
And they have fallen back on beef;
mutton and pork. The herds existed
people had to have something to eat.
To what extent the herds have dis
appeared is shown by the cutting
down of the meat ration of the SOL
diers at the front At the beginning
of the war they were allowed one
pound of meat day. Twenty per
cent has now been cut from that al
,owance. And / will point out again
THAT only dire necessity will counte-
nance reducing the food allowance of
soldiers at the front
Meat Shortage Serious.
Civilians, naturally, were the first
to suffer. when meat became scarce.
The price went soaring. Retail prices
to consumers doubled and trebled.
The poor cut down in quantity, one
understands. and the very poor went
without entirely. But those who could
paw could have meat. If they were
willing to give the price.
The time came however. when there
had to be an attempt to control the
consumption. The army requires
10000 tons of meat month, or 432.-
900 tons year. Frances herds suf-
fered enormously at the very begin
ming of the war. A total of approx
mately 2,500.000 cattle. sheep and
hogs from the French herds were
seized by Germany in the invaded
provinces, Coming immediately on
top of this loss France found herself
compelled to find food for some mil
lions of Belgian and French refugees.
This had to be done at once and the
herds remaining had to be slaughtered
without stopping to ask questions
about the future. One does not say
To n starving man. "What will | do