Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-08
The Government Should Provide
Facilities for Food Marketing.

\ peculiarly important duty IN the OoNeIh-
ment's efforts to increase and conserve the food
supply is that of providing adequate marketing
facilities. This indeed is the pivotal problem of
the food question. The most effective stimulus to
production is to assure the farmer a ready and
profitable sale for all the foOdstuffs he raise.
The first great step toward economizing the food
output is make the system of distribution as
efficient possible And efficiency in distribution
is the simplest as we'll as protection TO the
interests of the consumers Marketing facilities
such Government resources provide will
all these purposes and thereby go far toward
solving the basic war problem.
Ii would be impossible for our farmers to pro-
duce more food staples than needed 1t is
tremeIy doubtful indeed that they produce as
much as is needed. matter how hard they try
how we'll their labors prosper. For thirty years or
more this county's output of gain and meat and
other necessaries has failed keep pace with the
growth in population Our wheat supply at the
beginning of this spring hundred
million bushels less than year ago. Furthermore,
the entire worlds food reserves are virtually
hausted. Evidently, then. there is a demand for
every of foOdstufs American farmers can
bring forth and the demand probably will exceed
the supply for years to come
But this extraordinary. worldwide demand will
be of no profit to the food farmer nor will the
the world, unless he market his products. II
efforts to increase the production of food crops
TO be- permanently successful this phase of the
situation must receive earnest and competent at
fentiOn, particularly in the South. Otherwise.
many farmers who are planting foodstufs heavily
this season will be discouraged for lack of profit
able outlet for their crops and year the food
acreage will dwindle. although the need for
bOuntiful production may be even more urgent than
now. No one can foresee the end of this war;
there careful observers among our own Gov
eminent officials well among the British and
French who expect it to last several years longer
perhaps three years or. as some apprehend even
six years. In planning for our food needs there
fore. must encourage sustained effort in order
that there may be substantial results for an in
definite future. I'm the South especially must we
see to it that every farmer who has any surplus
food products for sale is afforded an anpIe oppor-
tunity to sell them at fair prices. Thus the pro-
ductive energies of the South and of all other agri-
cultural regions will be fostered and stimulated to
a maximum of effort and of efficiency
The task of providing market facilities for the
increased output of food staples is of such great
proportions and of such great Importance to ma
tionaI interests that the federal Government should
take it promptly I'm hand. The Department of Agri-
culture, with the assistance of other administrative
bureaus. should it that there are established
points in every agricultural State Govern
ment agencies TO aid in selling and in some in
stances actually to purchase the surplus grain and
potatoes and similar staples which the famers of
the surrounding country have for sale By Just
what methods this plan can be worked out most
effectively, Department experts can best determine
The Government has all the administrative ma
ehinery needed to inaugurate the service. and it
would receive hearty cooperation from State au-
thorities-
Enormous quantities of food will be required
for the army and navy in addition to other enor-
nous quantities for expectation to England and
France. In purchasing these supplies the Govern
ment can render invaluable aid to the cause of
adequate markets and equitable distribution. 4
timely example of what can be done in this connac
tion appears in the announcement that the new
army supply depot recently established in Atlanta
will be pleased to receive bids direct from Georgia
farmers Major Powers, depot qUartermaster ex-
plains that farmers wishing to make bids sbouId
file their names with him and state as far as
possible what they will have to offer in the wav of
fOodstufs The farmers thus registered VIII he
notified whenever the depot issues a call for bids
1t will be quite permissible. moreover for groups
VI farmers and community organizations to bid
for Government contracts. BY this means the food
output of small growers can be consolidated and
proftably disposed of. On this point Major Pow
ers Interestingly remarks:
When need ten thousand or twenty
thousand of tomatoes, for instance we
could hardly afford to consider the few hun
dred which individual farmers
wife might have hand; but if this house
wife should combine with half dozen others
and offer us a considerable number of cans.
we could certainly talk business The same
sort of system might well be employed by your
girls canning clubs"
Here, then, is an example of the marketing aids
and facilities which the Government can provide.