The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-04-26
FAMINE TO FORCE
DEFEAT IN EUROPE
Food Supply, Not Fighting, to Be
Deciding Factor in World
War.
BURDEN PUT ON BRITAIN
Must Provide for France and Italy
NeutraIs Suffer From Stringency-
Pestiience and Suffering in
Many Forms Will Follow.

LOndon.-On the opening day Of the
current session of parliament Admiral
Lord Charles Beresford made the calm
observation that If the war should con-
tinue another year Europe would s;are
famine in the face. He did not con-
fine his word of impressive warning
to the Central Empire; he spoke OF
Europe, and included ncutrals as well
as the belligerents of both sides.
One need not go far afield in these
days to find many thoughtful men seri-
ously contemplating that possibility.
Somebody once said that the world
lived about 72 hours from the brink
OF starvation. Europe is the smallest
and most intensivcly cultivated conti-
nent, producing more than half the
worlds wheat. It's aggregate of live
stock supplies makes it far away the
greatest meat producing continent; vet
1T is unable to feed itself and for its
dcflcienci"s draws upon the surpluses
of the rest of the world
Great Britain draws II larger proper
tion of its fOodStufrs from abroad than
any great nation, vet because it has
wealth and shipping and universal busi-
ness relationships its dependence upon
the rest of the world makes it the most
Independent of European countries in
this matter of food supplies.
"Thcre will be no second Punic war"
Numbered Mr.. Bonar Law, chancellor
Of the cXchcqucr, from his place on the
,lN Il.
Lord BcresfOrd had urged his warming
That phrase has passed into current
usage, like Mr.. Lloyd Georges great
speech warning the nation that ii must
choose between great sacrifices and
great disasters; il honestly held up to
England the picture of possible nation
al ruin. Carthage. like Great Britain,
was maritime country dependent on
far away lands for ncccssarics. Across
the narrow seas rival rose to dispute
It's dominion Of the sen, which meant
its right to live. No one war or two
wars determined that issue. In the
end Carthage fell
Question Of Feeding.
When Mr.. Bonar Law said there
would be no second Punic war he was
telling his British public that England
must so completely establish her So
curity and hereafter hold il so firmly
that no further dispute should he pos
siblc. When we place that alongside
the words of Lord BercSfOrd 1t is pos.
siblc to understand the vital character
Of tn" struggle whose climax is ap-
proaclling with the opening of the
spring campaign of 1917.
1t Is become. MS almost everybody in
Europe now begins to SEQ, n question
whether the economic resources of the
Central Empires or the maritime power
of the allies can longest stand the
strain. Can Germany and Austria feed
themselves from within longer than the
entente can feed itself from without
The military decision is going to be
secondary to this economic dctcrmina-
ton. If one side can feed itself longer
than the other can that side will win.
1t was looked upon ut the end of the
wars first year as great struggle in
military attrition. Today 1t is just as
widely recognized to be n war of eco
nOmic attritiOn.
The essence Of such struggle IL the
problem of feeding the warning ma
tions. or them all England has in her
soil the largest possibilities of increas-
ing agricultural production.
Mr.. Lloyd George declared in his
speech that 100000 or 100000 acres
of available agricultural land remained
unused. Beyond this great areas have
been utilized for pasturing. These are
to be brought under the plow and
made far more productive If it be pos
slble to find labor and machinery to do
1t. If England had on the economic
side prepared for this war as carefully
and for as long n time as Germany
prepared for it the war would never
have happened.
Even Women Drafted.
England would have been able to
feed itself, and power within, with her
naval force without, would have made
her safe. Last years crops throughout
Europe We're almost universally bad.
Nature was In part responsible, but it