Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-06-04
Beer and LIQUOR !,
| MUST SURRENDER
BREAD TO Be MADE kIMs

Available Supply Of Grain 10 1sosnsial
Pse Feed, and Feed 10 Shs WsapsM
That Will Win the War-osemaAy
Has Reduced Her csnsumptisn q
essr-Ws Must Follow.
sy JOHN hiosoN covgR.
Mr.. Cover has Just returned from fovfs
teen months service under Ambassadcs
Penheld at Vienna. whore he was attaehe
to the embassy stan on special service.
Germany is basing her hopes Of VIC
tory on two actvities-the submarine
campaign to starve England and the
conservation of her own food to pre-
vent starvation at home. The war has
become a food Marathon. The allies
are weighted down with military bur.
dens. and the problem Of feeding them
must fall upon the United States. the
latest entrant in the war.
The German and Austrian govern.
ments control the production. conser'
vation and distribution OF commodi-
ties. They compute the quantities OF
food each farmer should produce.
They regulate its storage and sale. and
they arrange a system Of distribution
emitting each Individual to q maff.
mum amount Of staples. Under this
strict control the production Of beer
and liquor has been reduced. and In
many instances brewing has been for.
hidden altogether In order to conserve
the malt. barley, wheat, rye, oats. corn,
rice and potatoes for use In foods.
Consumption Gradually Reduced.
It has been calculated that in peace
times the average German citizen
drank from four to ten quarts OF beer
Q day. Cafes aud beer gardens were
q part OF everyday life. and the habit
Of drinking had become q necessity.
This was the dificult problem which
the governments had to solve. and
their method Of solution has been the
gradual reduction Of production under
restrictions placed on the brewery. the
cafe and the individual. On enc occa.
sion ninety eight breweries were co0-
PEELED to suspend business because Of
the violation Of regulations.
II habit ridden central Europe can
force such prohibitions for the con.
servation Of her food. America. relieved
Of such habits, should be able to g.
tablish q wartime prohibition In the
interest Of her citizens and Of the peo.
pie Of Europe whom We must feed.
What 10 the economic phase Of war.
time prohibition1
In the thirty-two months that ws ~
mained aloof from the European death
struggle we became accustomed b deal
with the war 40 remots from eur ~.
sponsibilitiea Business developed anl
export thrived. We constdeeed our
resources inexhaustible ana washsfully
rushed their production 10 nsse ~
call Of the allies. We failed 10 deserve
the migration Of our farmers 70 tho
munition factory; We did not take 90.
nixanc0 Of the fact that our food pro.
duction had diminishsd and our foed
export increased.
Now We are facing . VOID faninA
The entente cannot raiss snOaGh
staples to feed its soldiers ana II noa.
combantAnts, and we have ocafcsly
enough left to feed ourpelve1
In ono year the production q grain
in the United States decreased frum
"A to 81 per cent.
In the same period the sxpsrtaeaoa q
the same crops increased from - %
100 per cent The wheat cFUp g 1914
exceeded SOL ,000, 900 buahels ana roos
in 1915 to more than q billioa bushsiA
but in 1915 the productioa drsppsd -
639, ,0O0, 900 bushels, while Shs wintsF
wheat which Is depsudsd upsa - SUP.
ply most Of the years productieo. y n
1917 far below normal. II II estimated
that the shortage Of wheat viii Gncood
1855. 900 bushels, Of corn 10, ,21e,eoo
and Of barley q, ,2s1, 900 bushslA
It 10 evident with the shortage a.
ready noted and with the di6souity a
inaugurating Q government vseem %
overcome this deficit that cousesvataoa
Of supplies on hand 10 the Immediate
step to be taken. How can ws slimi.
nate waste1
In reply ws return - tAs Qusut3uu
Of saving the. graiA which = divertsd
from the bakery to the browesy. Bsa<
and liquor must surrender b broad.
It IL estimated that food values ussd
In the production of bser and liouor n
1915 would support 7,oo0, 900 mem for
one year.
Wartime ProhibftlsW, Panic prsvsntlvs.
BY CHARLES sTELZlG.
If the money now invested In the
LIQUOR business verA fnvaataA IN Sha