New-York tribune., 1918-02-02
Plenty of Grain Here, but 1t Is Not
Moving Rapidly Enough
nc Editor of The Tribune.

quantities which they have been able to pur-
chase have been altogether insufficient for
their requirements, the being that
farmers have been unable, though willing, to
market their corn.
1t is to the United States of America and
to Canada that the Allies have to look chief
ly for their supplies Of bread In the Allied
countries in Europe the supplies of meat,
fish and fruit are very greatly curtailcd.
Because Of this it has not been found posi-
bic greatly to reduce tho quantity of bread
consumed person. Stringent regulations
have been put in force to insure that there
is waste of bread. No bread NAV be sold
unless it is at least twelve hours old, and
no hotel or public eating place is allowed to
supply more than a very limited portion for
each person.
No Excessive Eating
One object aimed at by the food con ntrolcrs
is that the bread supply, while still whole
some, be not OF very palatabc nature, so
that people may not feel inclined to cat
more than is actually necessary.
1t is not now permissible in any of The
Allied countries for bread to be made solely
from wheat flour. An admixture Of at least
70 per cent of -four made from coarse grains,
such as corn, barley, rye, oats or rice, is al
ready compulsory.
America has exported to Europe as much
wheat as she spare under normal con-
ditions but the efforts which the United
States food administration have made viii
provide additional quantities of wheat for
the Allies. These quantities Will, however,
not be sufficient, and will necessitatc fur
.ther admlXture of coarse grain products into
bread. The Allies must, and ready to,
consume moro coarse grain products. Next
month the compulsory admiXturc of these
products into bread viii be at least So per
cent. very large proportion of this ad-
mixture should be corn flour and corn meal
Fortunately, the corn crop in this country
is very large, but, unfortunately. up to the
present time. very small quantities have
been marketed. The reason for this is the
difficulty in moving the corn from farms
tc mills and 10 ships
Many Of the same reasons which have
caused the shortage Of coal are also caus-
lNG shortage of grain. The principal rea-
son is that railway cars and equipment which
should be employed in the movement Of grain
from farms TO the great terminal elevators
at Chicago, st. Louis, Kansas City Omaha
ana elsewhere have been tied up in the
Eastern States loaded with commodities other
available the farmers in the West find them
selves unable TO send their corn to market
although they are anxious to do So Un-
less the railway administration finds it possi-
bic to supply i'll the Western farming states
a sufficient number of cars to move corn
and other grain the worst possible results
Will follow:
Unless the Cars Come
Firstly Sufficient supplies Will not be
available to load the ships which the Allies
have sent and sending to this country
TO carry food to Europe and the failure OF
these ships to arrive with food in Europe
Will cause famine conditions there
Seccndly-1hc corn which is nov lying
on the farms and cannot be moved will rot
and be wasted
Corn this year contains an unusually hipl,
percentage oil moisture, and in order that il
should keep and be made fit for human food
1t must be dried in the great elevators whcl,
are situated at many points throughout this
country.
The movement Of food and fuel is the out
standing problem. 1t is useless for America
to send men TO Europe and provide them
with guns and warlkc material il there is
not sufficient food there to keep them alive
/ Unless the great sources of food supply in
the West OF this country are tapped food
|
the men America is sending to fight her
great battles for the men of the Allies
who are already fighting for civilization, and
tor their women, who are so nobly working
IN factories, muntion works and railways.
Crops in the United States arc more than
I ample to feed all without any difficulty. It
IS true that the wheat crop was only mod
crate, but the corn and oats crops were abun-
dant. The total cereal crops raised in the
Onited States are 4,l00,0 900 this season.
against 9,i5o,o0o00O last season. There is
/ plenty and to spare for all if only it can
be transported to the places where it is
needed. The great cry now is Speed up
the war; The cry should first of all be
Speed up the car"
The first and greatest of all problems TO
be solved IS the problem of food. A sufi
cient supply OF cars to carry the food from
the farms is the first and greatest necessity.
In spite OF the U-boat menace Britain and
her allies arc providing sufficient ships for
food. These ships must not be allowed to
wait at American ports because the farmers
IN this country cannot move to them the food
they have produced. H. T. HOBSON.
Chairman Wheat Export Company, Inc.
New York, Jan. so, 1918