New-York tribune., 1918-05-02
Wasted Potatoes
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The country produced prodigious
potato crop last year. The prices to con-
sumers have been all the time So or more
a bushel. Now fifty to one hundred and
fifty million bushels rottng when every
possible economy of food is imperative.
Who is responsible for this calamitous
waste? In an article April "a The
Tribune quotes two potato dealers who
place the fault upon the farmers, charging
them with protiteering, that they would not
sell last fall at reasonable prices and that
now it is too late to save the crop even
with energetic government measures.
| raise the question whether it was the
farmers or the potato dealers who were
primarily responsible. Two months ago I
spent week in the potato region on the
North Platte, in Nebraska and came in
close contact with potato growers. Every
farmer I met or heard of had lost from
500 to 10000 bushels In this particular
section, about Is miles wide and rs miles
long, it was estimated that 1000 cars Of
potatoes were going to waste This was re-
ported to be the general situation in Colo
RADIO and in other potato sections.
Now, the farmers charge is that the
potato dealers last fall bought only so
much of the crop could be sold at war
or monopoly prices and left the rest on the
farmers hands The dealers cons idered
that they would make more money at very
high prices, selling only part of the crop,
than at lower prices and disposing of the
entire crop
The potato situation should receive a
thorough airing. There ought to be an
official investigation and the fact ought to
be made public whether the loss is prima-
rily due to the farmers or the dealers
greed, to the mistakes of the food admin
istration, to the car shortage during the
fall months to combination of these
factors.
The fixed purpose in the investigation,
however. should not be merely to place
sponsibiity, but rather to provide
structive programme for this year-and
quickly. Little will be gained by loading
the profteering on the farmers or dealers.
Profteerng is inevitable under our laissez-
faire Cor lack of national plan) agricultural
system; farmers and dealers will be alike
and 1T is not question of patriotism
either The chief immediate purpose
should be to construct a national plan and
organization by which resources will be
used for the benefit of the war.
According to present appearances. the
potato planting this year will be Is to 40
per cent less than last year. This will be
unfortunate, because land suitable for pota-
toes produces relatively much more food
than wheat or corn land What should be
done-and quickly-is to guarantee the
farmers rs cents or 81 bushel for all the
potatoes grown and for the government to
take and dispose of the entire crop at
prices which will sell or conserve the entire
output. There would then be no difficulty
in production. There would be certainty
which is the prerequisite of industry. Also
suspicion would be removed on the part of
the farmers to price manipulation
which has inevitably been disorganizing
influence in the potato market.
The country needs all the food that can
be raised. The production and distribu-
tion have become primary governmental
functions. 1t is absurd to depend on ordi-
nary economic forces under the present
situation. Unless quick governmental
action is taken in a thoroughgoing way
next winter we shall be paying high prices,
not because of an artificial, but because of
a real shortage in potatoes.
JOHN BAUER.
New York, April 81, 1918.