The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-15
PUTTING The WORLD ON
RATIONS.
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
By Frederic J. Haskin. Director.
Washington, ID. @.

necessities Tor human life winch are
in sight, or which can be counted
upon in the near future, are no longer
to be permitted to be wholly depend
ent for their proper distribution on
chance or on national selnShness. Inc |
statesmen of the world have deter
mined that, if system can accomplish /
it. there shall be enough food to go |
around.
The leaders of the world now real |
| ize that it is necessary to apply EN-
| cheney methods to hurnanitys pantry. /
/ OF course, the immediate object OF the /
various understandings between the !
/ nations of the entente and the United
States-and Japan-as to the control |
| of the production and distribution of
the worlds food supplies is to defeat /
| Germany. But there are larger things
involved than beating the kaiser. 1t
| concerns the whole human race
whether the wheat or other grain
| supply is short, what becomes or Ar
gentina beef or of American corn.
| If the statesmen of the western dem
ocracies can help it, there will never
against be a surplus of food in one
| part of the world while in another
| human beings are hungry
Business Management of the World.
The series of conferences during re-
cent months in Washington between
missions from Great Britain, France,
Russia, Italy and Japan and the Off
cials of the United States government,
it is unofficially stated, will result in
the beginning of a system of business
management of the world. Hereafter
not only food but other necessities of
modern civilized life will be distri-
buted with due regard to. the needs
| of the worlds peoples. Such a sys-
tematization is particularly necessary
! just now when something like forty
million of the worlds producers have
! arc nd
| When the rest of the world realized
that the German kaiser was trying to
dominate the world, it united and be-
| sieged the central empires. The siege
of city is a time honored method of
war: But the siege of four empires
| covering nearly a million square miles
of territory with a population of more
than fifty millions of people, all di-
rected with scientific skill and I'M
scrupulous efficiency from one capt.
tal-that was an entirely new sort of
undertaking.
While the larger nations were able
to settle their relations with Germany
early in the struggle, tie little coun-
tries on the rim of the arena-Hol-
land, Switzerland and Scandinavia
found themselves first in a perpleXing,
then in thoroughly alarming posi-
ton. For years they had been going
through process of gradual German
ization. German banks, German
drummers, German spies had closed in
upon the little nations until this eco
nomic invasion of Prussia was almost
as effective as the spread of the
kaiser's armies. The small nations
were helpless.
Afraid of BeIgium's Fate.
Much as they may have honestly
desired to be neutral these little ma
lions have never really been so since
the war began. Big powerful Ger
many is next door to them and thew
all aid of I0i,
Therefore they have been at times
quite unable to see German SUBJ
marines in their territorial waters al
though they have always noticed al
nous quantities of food and other
supplies to Germany and many of
their citizens - particularly many
Swedes and Hollanders-have become
enormously wealthy. Several organ
izations. it is true, have been estab-
lished in these countries such as the
swedish Victualing Commission and
the n. o. T. Netherlands Overseas
) trust IN Holland, have been formed
to satisfy the blockading powers that
nothing imported by them gets into
Germany.
They have. in the main, kept their
promise. But ways have been found
to get around that promise Our state
, department has received Information
that great many of the Swedish and
Dutch products have been shipped to
Germany and home necessities been
MADE up from imports from allied
countries, chiefly the United States of
America. In his first embargo pro-
clamation early in July, President
Wilson stated that Sweden, which has
always been "a large exporter of iron
ores, is now selling more ore to Ger
= many than she used to sell to the
{ Whoie world, and is. meanwhile, i'm
porting iron ore from the United
States" So with wheat. IF Holland
imports abnormal quantities from this
country she may sell her own products
to Germany"
Tightening the BIockades.
British sblacklists and the penalties
imposed by the various Trading-with-
: the Enemy acts of the allies failed to
Y smut orr re-exports to Germany The
Z embargo rulings of the United States.
however. have done what the entente
powers could not do In two DrocIa m :
3 atoms during recent weeks President
Wilson proclaimed that, in order to
economic on our own food supplies
ana sun nave something to spare for
> the allies, all exports of grain meat
= fuei, steel and innumerabIe other
commodities of use in warfare must
hereafter be controlled by means of
licenses issued under regulations by
e the newly created exports administers
tive board. Regulation of American
exports and radical increase in the
list OF contra band recently issued by
the British government has so tight
D ened the blockade that not only Ger
t many but the little neutrals them
selves have been crying out in protest
: The latter have been sending missions
r to the United States to endeavor to
t arrange for supplies for themselves
by giving satisfactory assurances that
: such supplies will not be re-exported
to our enemies.
n For some years the International
Institute of Agriculture with head
| quarters in Rome-of which all the
great nations are MEMBERSHIPS been
: making periodical surveys of the crop
e situation all over the world. 1t has
, been giving advice to the agricultural
= departments of the different govern
s ments as to how crops of grains and
: other food staples can best be stimu-
lated has alsn 1Irnnra ran11aSt cri1rar,