El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-12-08

7
Nj am at the nozzle OF the great
= = grain funnel Of the northwest.
Minneapolis is the wheat and nour
center Of the world. and in our task
Of feeding the armies and peoples Of
Europe it stands first in Importance
among the eenters Of food production
today 1t has been said that there
are but three factors in our war with
the Germans. These are funds. NUM-
tious OF war and food. That we can
supply the first two is being proved
daily by the success of the liberty
loans and our great shipments Of
guns shells and explosives across
the ocean TO the battlefields OF
France and Italy
Demand Tor Food Enormous.
The question Of food is not so easily
disposed Of The demands Of our
allies are enormous, and the whole
world is on the edge or a famine.
Nearly 40.00o,o90 men have been tax
en- from the occupations OF neace 70
make up and equip the great lighting
forces The ranks Of the food pro-
duCers have been materially thinned
and the women have been forced into
the fields Every nation IN Europe
IS on war diet and England is said
to have food for only three weeks
ahead
Now more than ever do the armies
march ~ their stOmachs. and in the
war or today IL is not only the SOL
6iers at the front who make up the
armies, but also the men and women
who work to supply their equipment
These armies must be fed. and the
United States is the store from which
their food must come. Il is not
question Of generosity We are not
adopting the Wheafless dav or the
q Fa-E
The conservation of our food is a
grim necessity, and upon II depends
ne future Of our country and that OF
mach of Europe besides
Z. s. In Feeding the Worid.
Feeding the world, That il the
task that has been set Uncle sam.
The great wheat and grain resources
Of Russia, the country second to the
gnited States, have been cut or by
the Germans Russia is virtually IN
able TO get the wheat of her south to
her arctic ports for shipment to the
armies on the western front Arch
angel is as far from the grain fields
Of south Russia as is Alaska from
this flour city Of the northwest and
Germany has successfully cut OF
nearly 200. 900, 900 bushels from the
western allies
The wheat crop in Canada is off
cially estimated at less than half the
crop Of 1915 and reports from ArEen-
tina also show a material decrease
The only other wheat countries Of
Importance are Australia and British
India Australia Is three times as
far from Europe as the United States.
and transportation from there as vel
as IN Russia Is blocked By the Ger
mans
I have before me an estimate made
b. food commissioner Hoover. He
says that the wheat crops Of Europe
win this year fail 500, 0O0, 900 bushels
below their normal production, and
thar as minimum We must ship TO
them 225, 100000 bushels OF wheat
And then there are the great armies
Uncle sam expects TO have a million
men at the front as soon as they can
he trained and transported I despair
q making you appreciate the enor-
nous quantities Of food needed TO
supply q million men. It would take
bT71 barrels Of flour every p hours. I
OF the entire crop from a wheat field 1
almost four miles square When
baked In the army ovens this flour
would make nearly two million loaves
Of bread. which placed two deep and
counter reaching all the way from
Washington TO Baltimore
A Peep Into the Flour Barrel.
But let Us take look into our IA
fionai Eour barrel and see where
these enormous supplies are to be I
found Even with the bumper crop OF
l9l5- which left surplus OF 164. 00G.- I
600 bushels to be added 70 the 1916
crop. we had on hand last March less
than enough to supply our own yearly I
need Of 5O0,o00.0O0 bushels. The great l
shipments abroad and the amount I
saved for seed left Us only 464 600. 600 I
bushels. and before the crop of 1917 4
became available Uncle sam had 70 4
scrape the last bits Of flour dust from /
the bottom OF his barrel The official (
estimate for the crop Of 1917 is placed 4
at 65S,000,000 bushels or only 49,
0O0,000 bushels more than we usually /
consume here at home. Taking out 7
the 100 600 00i bushels necessary for 4
seed. we should have left only So
100000 bushels for export This would /
clean up every bushel Of wheat pro- .
ouced this year and empty the bins in 4
every elevator in the country. And I
yet Nlr. Hoover says We must have I
no less than $4,000 900 bushels for 4
export to France
Come with me through the great {
mills which are handling our wheat /
crop. Minneapolis is the largest flour
city IN the world. II IS one Of the
leading grain markets in the country.
and II stands at the TOP Of the list as
the greatest primary wheat market
cn the globe Since 1887 the annual
output Of its mills have exceeded I
$1,000 900 barrels and its flour is
known all over the world.
The president Of one Of the largest
mills here told me Of an incident that
took place during the Russo-Japane
var a number Of Japanese officers /
were celebrating the victory of the
battle of Mukden and an American
army officer who was present at the
banquet remarked upon the excel
lence Of the bread Using the one or
two words Of japanese that he knew
he said that il was 'Tchf han" or
number one" 1T ought to be" re-
piled the japanese general. with a
bow. 1T is made Of flour that came
from Minneapolis. We captured Il
from the Russians"
The Power Behind the MILE
took a walk today through the
milling district Of Minneapolis All
Of the flour mills are huddled to-
sether about the falls Of St Anthony.
only SIX blocks from the business