Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-04-13
PACKER SAYS RADICAL AND I'M
MEDIATE STEPS SHOULD BE
TAKEN BY NATION.
FAvoRs GOVERNMENT
CONTROL OF EDleLEs
Predicts America Will Be in as Serious
Condition as Europe Unless Methods
Are Adopted to Conserve Supplies
Would Guarantee Farmer $3.50 Per
BusheI For Wheat.

Chicago, April l.. IF immediate
and radical steps are no: taken to in
crease and conserve the food supply
of the United States" said J. Ogden
Armour, the packer, this country will
find itself next winter in as bad
state, 50 far as food is concerned. as
any of the warning nations of Europe
The food shortage Is world wild e,
The production in Europe is worse
than cut in half by the war. In the
Argentine there have been drouths
and great losses of grain and cattle
In our own country the winter wheat
crop has been badly damaged by cold
weather.
Now we have entered the war. our
first duty, as ! see ii. is 10 make GER
tain that both our own people and our
allies have an abundant food supply.
Food Preparedness.
With full recognition of the fact
that we are facing the most critical
days in our national history, l say
that the question of food supply is the
most pressing and important before
US. From a purely war standpoint,
even. food preparedness seems to me
quite as important and more pressing
than military preparedness.
II We start at once--this week
We still have time 10 vastly increase
our feed production not only Tor the
coming fall and winter but for the
years which come AFTER. and watch
may he even moro critical
$3.50 For Wheat.
Because the time is SO short and
the sitnation so dangerous favor
supervision and control OF
food production and food prices. They
have been forced to come TO that t..
Europe. Let Us do it before we are
compelled to do SO. The prices OF
wheat, corn. live stock, and other food
products have gotten away from any
control but that Of the government.
Let the government. for instance. fix
the wholesale price OF all meat pro-
ducts. That would probably result n
an automatic regulation Of all prices,
from the producer to the consumer. II
it failed TO do so further government
action might be necessary.
Let the government. say, guaran-
tee to the farmer a minimum price OF
$3.50 bushel for all the wheat he can
raise. 1t would be perfectly safe
thing TO do. 1t would no, cost the
government cent.
No Fight For Profits.
These are radical suggest, ms. But
this is an emergency which nothing
but radical remedies will meet. There
will be objections from individuals and
firms whose profits would be cut, but
in the present situation the individual
will have to suffer, so long 80 benefit
to the mass of the people results.
Everybody must help. No acre of
fertile land should be left Idle. Eve Y
acre of my Lake Forest farm Will be
either cultivated this year for the rails
ing Of crops or will be devoted to the
grazing Of cattle and sheep.
LAS a measure Of. CO.'S ryation for
example. | Should favor the institu-
tion, by government edict, If necessary,
Of meatleSs days. one or two Of them
a week. such az they now have in Eu-
rope. That is strange doctrine for
& meat manufacturer 10 pr acn. but
| believe that. either by law or volun-
tarily, people VIII be Obliged 10 stop
eating so much meat during the sum-
mer months, especially. If they exp CT
to have sufficient supply next fail
and winter.
IL will be better for their health. in
The first pace, and it will conserve the
supply Of breeding animals on the
farms, which are. now being. in many
cases, sacrificed and sold by the far
mers in order to take advantage of
the present enormously high prices.
Cattle Double in Price.
The same grades of cattle. for in
stance, arc selling now for practically
twice what they brought on the same
market a year ago last February. Hogs
are at the highest prices in the history
of the business. The temptation tc
market immature stock and breeding
stock is great. But 1t means a dan
gerous shortage next fall and winter
and n tremendous loss to the farmer in
future years.
1T Is the producer, the farmer, and
the distributor, the railroads, which
have largely broken down. We manu-
facturers can easily double our output
Our own plants. for instance, are now
running only AZ per cent of our pres
ent capacity.
Food Reports Alarm Him.
More immediate is the question OF
a greater supply Of wheat and othe.
foodstuffs Government crop reports
show an alarming amount Of damage
done to wheat now in the ground BY
winter killing. Where that damage
does not exceed 40 to 80 per cent the
sowing Of spring wheat on the dam.
aged fields doubtless would result II
the harvesting Of a profitable crop. TIL,
temptation Is, of course, to pillow w
the damaged fields and plant them t.
corn. But we greatly need the wheat
1--WE manufacture fertilizers, hn
that does not prevent me from saying
that if farmers would put top dress.
ing Of fertilizer on their winter whea
fields they could increase their croI
from 10 per cent up per acre. Let tn.
government fix the price at which thu
necessary fertilizer shall be sold.
Farmers, 81 Patriots.
There should be vastly increased
crop of spring wheat sowed. Farmer
all thru the great spring wheat bel
OF the northwest should be persuaded
and urged, as a patriotic duty t.
double their acreage in wheat. Their
Is still time TO save the situation 30 ia
as wheat is concerned during the pres
ent crop year. No one need fear. evel
Il the government does not guarantee
him minimum price. that he will fai
to find his wheat crop profitable. Tn
world must have bread.
Patriotic women who wish to d
something vital for their country I'm
mediately should establish regimel