The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-04-20
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
Neutrals Suffer From Strinoency-
Pestilence and Suffering in
Many Forms vii Follow.

London.-On the opening day of the
current session of parliament Admiral
Lord Charles Bercsford made the calm
observation that if the war should con.
tlnue another year Europe would stare
famine In the face. He did not con-
fine his word Of impressive warning
to the Central Empire; he spoke OF
Europe, and included neutrals as well
as the belligerents of both sides.
one need not 60 far atield in these
days TO find many thoughtful men seri-
ouSly contemplating that possibility.
Somebody once said that the world
lived about - hours from the brink
OF starvation. Europe is the smallest
and Q intensively cultivated CONT
nent, producing more than half the
worlds wheat. It's aggregate Of live
stock supplies makes it far away the
greatest meat producing continent; yet
1t is unable to feed itself and for its
deficiencies draws upon the SURPRISES
OF the rest of the world.
Great Britain draws a larger o
ton Of it's fOodstuffS from abroad than
any great nation, yet because it has
wealth and shipping and universal bust
ness relationships it's dependence upon
the rest of the world makes it the most
Independent Of European countries in
this matter Of food supplies.
There will be no second Punic war"
Numbered Mr.. Bonar Law, chancellor
of the eXchequer, from his place on the
government benches a day or w after
Lord Beresford had urged his warning.
That phrase has passed into current
usage, like Mr.. Lloyd Georges great
speech warning the nation that it must
choose between great sacrifices and
great disasters; it honestly held up to
England the picture of possible nation
al ruin. Carthage, like Great Britain,
was a maritime country dependent on
far away lands for necessaries. Across
the narrow seas a rival rose to dispute
It's dominion of the sea, which meant
It's 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 Sc
curity and hereafter hold it SO firmly
that no further dispute should be pos
sible. When we place that alongside
the words of Lord Beresford it is pos
sible to understand tie vital character
of the struggle whose climax is ap-
preaching with the opening of the
spring campaign of 1917.
1t is become. rs almost everybody in
Europe now begins to see, Il question
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 determina-
ton. If one side can feed itself longer
than the other can that side will win.
IT was looked upon at the end Of the
wars first year rs a great struggle in
military attrition. Today it Is just rs
widely recognized to be a war Of eco
monte attrition.
The essence Of such q struggle is the
problem Of feeding the warning ma
tons. OF them all England has in her
soil the largest possibilities of increas-
agricultural production.
Mr.. Lloyd George declared in his
that 100000 or 5000. 900 acres
Of available agricultural land remained
unused. Beyond this great areas have
been utilized for pasturing. These are
to be brought under the pillow and
far more productive if it be pos
sible 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 a 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