The weekly Alaska citizen., 1917-12-17

listing, and the dark conseq we do enlist. They constitu they sound a new note on t responsibility.
 1 have been asked to review the req sons why We are pleading with the American people for stimulation of our food production, for care, thought, and economy in consumption, and eli mination of waste. Further, l wish to review the methods by which these things may be accomplished.
 Briefly, the reasons are simple. Our allies are dependent upon us for food and for quantities larger than We have ever before exported. They are the first line of our defense. and our money. and ships, and life blood and. not least, our food supply. must be of a common stock.
 If We cannot maintain our allies in their necessities, We cannot expect them to remain constant in war Ii their food fails, we shall be left alone in the fight, and the western line will move to the Atlantic Seaboards.
 It Is thus a matter of our own safe ty and self-interest. It Is more than this, 1t Is a matter of humanity, that We give of our abundance that We re lieve suffering.
 It is not difficult to demonstrate their needs. the volume of our obll- gation, and the necessity of great eff fort on our part. In normal pre-war times, England, Ireland, France, Italy and Belgium were to a large degree dependent upon imports for their food supplies They yearly imported over 750 100000 bushels of grain, together with vast quantities of animal and fat products. Belligerent lines have cut off their supplies from Russia, Bulgaria and Roumania, and the de mands of Germany on surrounding neutrals have reduced the supplies from these quarters.
 Distant Granaries Made Inaccessible.
 Of more importance, however, Is that the submarine destruction of shipping has necessitated that the farthest distant markets should be wholly or partially abandoned. The great markets of Australia and the Indias are now only partially accessi- ble, and gradually the more remote markets will be more and more res tricted until year from now, when our own new ships will be in mum bers to help.
 The last harvest in Argentina was a failure, and until the next harvest. even that contribution to their sup plies is cut of Beyond this again, much food is lost at sea; perhaps ten per cent of the actual shipments are sunk en route.
 Therefore, the load of even normal imports is thrown upon North Ameri- ca--the nearest and safest route.
 Of no less concern than the dislo- cation of markets and the losses at sea is the decrease in production among the allies. If forty million men are taken out of productive la bor and put into war and war work, there can be only one result. and that Is diminutive in production of food.
 Further contributing causes to this diminution are the lessening in the amount of fertilizer which is availa- ble, through shortage of shipping and losses at sea, and the consequent re duction in the productivity of the soil itself This year the decrease in production stands out in more vivid silhouette than ever before.
 We have had stock-taking by the various food administrators and de- partments of agriculture in Europe, and they find that the production of cereals this year has diminished about 525,000,000 bushels of grain below norfal. This shortage of pro- duction, added to normal imports. gives 1,250,0OO,000 bushels of grain that must be imported by the allies during the next twelve months, If consumption Is kept normal.
 Their cattle, sheep and hogs have diminished by over 30.000000 animals. and these reductions are bound to go on with increasing velocity, because short supplies have necessitated eat ing into the herd.
 A Burden We Must Carry.
 How great the burden upon the United States is may be made clear by a few figures During the three year pre-war period we averaged an annual export of 120.000.000 bushels of grain and 5O0,OOO,OOO pounds of animal products and fats. During the last fiscal year we exported over 400,000,000 bushels of grain and l. nf nr{p Al