The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-05-12

ton of being the only woman maChin
list in the state of Maine and the onl,
woman who wears Overalls at he
work. She hopes to join an aviation
corps for service in the war.
naval force without, would have made
her safe. Last years crops throughout
Europe were almost universally bad
Nature was in part responsible, but II
is now realized better than it was q
few months ago that the conditions of
life during war are utterly disastrous
to the interests of peace. The other
day Dutch farm hand who had been
working in Germany most Of the time
since the war began returned to his
home in Holland. He painted q pic
ture of conditions in rural Germany.
He had been the one able bodied man
on a farm of more than 200 acres. 1t
had been his work to get maximum
| of production out of the land in the
face of the fact that he was the only
really competent unit of man power
| there.
In former times several men would
have worked on that farm, amply sup
| piled with live stock for power, for
meat and milk supplies, for the pro-
duction of fertilizers. But the last of
the men was taken away to the army,
some of the women to munition works.
The horses had been taken away to
the lighting forces and long step had
been taken toward destruction of the
other live stock to provide meat.
Fertilizers were almost utterly lack
ing. In anticipation of the crop sea-
son Of 1917 he found that the stock of
seed had been drawn upon to q ruin
Gus extent because Germany like the
rest of Europe, is living so largely up
on its capital.
Working long hours under the most
arduous conditions this man had for
months been underfed although we'll
paid. He simply could not stand the
strain and left his place. This is pic
ture Of what may be seen and is daily
being reported all over Europe Swift
zerland, Holland, Greece, tell of null
titudes in dire need of food. The Scan
dinavian countries suffer less for food
but more for some other necessaries.
NeutraIs Also Suffer.
Yet it is not safe to presume that in
the outside world the wheat fields and
the stock resources of Canada and In
dia and Egypt, the Argentine and Aus
tralia. can be looked upon this year
to make up Europes deficiencies. Neu- |
trails are suffering through the same |
causes, even if not so acutely, that are |
the productive power of |
Europe. Labor is scarce, machinery |
and credit are almost impossible to Sc
cure. Manufactured articles which rep
resent the least of Europes troubles
thus far are not to be had by reason
Of both the industrial and financial
breakdown.
The outside world cannot produce
food for blockaded Germany and Aus
ria. The naval power of the allies
will not permit 1t to feed them Wheth-
ar 1t will be able to send it's surplus to
of an Overworked and under
Onned merchant marine. There is
more acute need for shipping than ever
before in modern times, while the SUP
lily of 1t is being diminished day by
lay. The world is no longer on a nor
nal basis. Credit and money, even
,old money, mean little. The tonnage
init of shipping capacity is the stand
lrd by which the capacities Of nations
o live and support themselves must
e gagged.
BY all accounts there is no real hum
er In England as yet, but Mr.. Lloyd
ieorge has Informed the nation that
IS food supplies are lower than ever
e1ore; he has required drastic limi-
alton of imports other than sheer ne
essltles of life so that there may be
argo space to bring these necessaries. f
has not only to supply its own T
equirements from abroad but largely
provide the shipping that shall bring
BOD to France and to Italy. 1t must
no means to carry troops and SUD- c
lies to the near East and necessaries "
war to Russia. a
Wastage Also a Factor.
This rough outline explains how the A
ar is coming to be looked upon as one t,
ore likely to be determined by eco c
omic than military attrition. Economic Il
astage, breaking down the physical n