The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1918-02-22

over 10000 carloads-over 2O.0O0.O 900
bushels-and this further aggravated
by similar shortage outside the ter
minals
Furthermore this year we have the
largest percentage of soft corn in
many years and though we have a
record crop of corn, considerable
portion of the soft corn will be lost
by spelling unless it can be moved
in sixty DAYS to the drying terminals
The least amount of grain that must
be loaded for the next sixty days is
eight million per day-and we have not
yet attained that Less than this
will solve neither the allied nor our
domestic consumption. We have
| about 100000 carloads of potatoes on
November ! which should have been
moved from the principal producing
! centers and up to the first of Febru-
AIRY we have moved about $4,000 car
| loads, while We should have moved
| over $4,000 in this period. The re-
/ suit is that potatoes are piled up
/ spelling in the producers hands and
the consuming centers have only been
supplied by virtue of the summer
gardens and other stores carried over
! from last year. There is a great deal
of live stock which has been ready
! for the market for some time, but
/ is still held in the farmers hands
I . {s,o IN
tation These cattle are eating their
heads off without increasing their
meat value and are only adding to the
| costs Of the farmer and consuming the
| grain
"The effect of this delayed move
ment has been many fold.
'First-To jeopardize the safety OF
great deal of the soft corn and per-
/ ishables such as potatoes.
"Sccond-The structure in flow of
distribution has entirely disturbed the
| price conditions in the country By
practically suspending the law of sup
| ply and demand The margins be-
| tween the farmer and the consumer
! i'm many commodities were never
wider than they are today because
! the consuming trades are under sup
! piled and the farmers compete for
| transportation. Prices of coarse grains
have reached unheard Of levels while
| the limited transportation has dimin-
ished the farmers returns
"Third-The cost of grain for feed
| ing live stock has so increased to the
feeders Of finished cattle that they
face serious losses. The cost of the
dairying industries have greatly in
creased
Fourth Through the large con
sumine areas we have been living off
reserves through the period OF scant
supplies. These reserves are in many
sections approaching exhaustion.
"Fifth-We have been unable to
transport to seaboard the necessary
foodstuffs for the allies. This has
not been done so much to the actua'
inability of the railways giving pri-
ority to foodstuffs for allied shipping
as il has been to bringing products
! IL 0ul illt idl lIH W tuG tCi illildl 1AlAt
; kets, where it can be segregated, pre-
pared and purchased by the allies
: The economic ramifications of thi
whole delay in the movement of the
national harvest are almost countless
and they present the most critical o
the situations of which no solution
f., exists but a continued expansion o
the efforts of the railway admins
? tration in the movement of foodstuff
in every direction to the exclusion o
much other commerce OF the country
Considerable progress has been mad
in the last ten days, but continues
rises in the price oN cereal commodi
ties and the failure to secure suffi
- cient surplus over immediate domes
z tic consumption to feed the allies ar
evidences that there is still def
p cheney in food cars and that this nee
z be still further increased Compari
sons of the movement from day {
S DAY for the last few days with move
! ments Of similar periods last year re
+ fleet the efforts being made by tn
u railroad directorate. We have, how
2 ever. long accumulation to be &c