The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1917-04-28
The National City Bank of New

in the country, sends the follow
ing letter to all its correspondents
this week, the Bank Of Colville re-
ceiving and passing out the infOr-
nation to it's customers:
We have repeatedly pressed
upon public attention the gravity
of the situation which now con-
fronts the world in the scarcity
of food supplies, but we would
not feel that we had done our
duty if we did not utter a final
word of warning and of appeal
upon the subject. The situation
grows more serious as spring ad-
vances and the disaster to the
winter wheat crop of this country
is understood.
All of EurOpe-neutral as well
as warning countries-has been
placed upon feod rations to exc
out supplies until the new crop
is harvested. This year there will
be practically no wheat carried
over and the governments esti-
mate upon the winter crop fore
casts yield of only 100000, 900.
On this basis the spring wheat
crop must be 214,00O,00O bushels
larger than last year in order to
give us a wheat supply equal to
what we will export and consume
in the crop year now closing.
This is an alarming outlook. The
spring wheat crop is notoriously
subject to weather conditions.
More spring wheat should be
sown. but it is doubtful if the
wheat shortage can be made up.
Other food crops must be grown
to meet the deficiency.
This country is now at war, and
our allies, Belgium, Great Britain,
France and Italy, are dependent
upon us for food. They will have
no reserves and must have more
from us in the coming year than
in the past, or they will not be
able to feed all their people.
Added to the appeals of starving
humanity will be military reasons
making it impossible for us to
put an embargo upon the exporta-
ton of food. We must divide
what we grow this year with these
countries, and with the neutral
countries-Holland, Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, Switzerland
and Spain-which are not self
sustaining in grain supplies, And
not only must we supply enough
to keep these peoples from starv-
ing, but enough to cover the heavy
losses at sea which result from
the submarine warfare. If we
grow no more food than we did
last year-and so far the outlook
is for less-there is danger Of a
food situation such as the world
in modern times has not dreamed
of. No other country has the re-
sources in land and population to
meet this emergency but the
United States. There is no bust
ness upon which all other busi-
ness depends as upon this of grow
ing a big crop in America this
year. And the work must be
started Immediately. There is no
time to wait on organization from
outside. The emergency can be
met only by spontaneous action
in every state, county and school
district, forming local organiza-
tiOns.
Picture in your mind what con-
ditions will be in our own cities
next winter, and of the effect up
on all industry, if food supplies
are scarcer and dearer than they
are now! 1t must be impressed
upon everybody that no wage ad-
vances or regulation of prices can
add one bushel of wheat or pOta-
toes to the supply after the grow
ing season is over.
The country is aroused, but
mere alarm will not. accomplish
results. There must be organized
personal work, headed in every
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