The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-11-19
AMERICA MUST
BE PREPARED
TO FEED WORLD
Great Problems Which Confront
u. s. Producers Not Gener-
ally Realized.
PACKERS HEAD PREDICTS
Sees Immediate Demand for
Every Ounce of Food Stuffs
We Can Supply.

we Can Supply.
Chicago, Nov. 19.-"The American
people do not yet realize that the ar
mistice brings the United States face
to face with gigantic problem in
food &production and conservation
which dwarfS all previous accom-
plishments in that direction" said
Thomas T.. Wilson yesterday.
Mr.. Wilson, president Of Wilson &
Co., IS chairman Of the packers COM
mittcc supervising cooperation Of the
meat industry with the government.
While pointing out the resources avail
able in American, he said:
"Thc presidents address to congress
discloses that the supreme war coun-
Gil at Versailles, in arraning armisticc
terms. has pledged this country and
its allies to Il task which will tax the
food resources Of the world on q scale
never known before.
Peace will not add single pound
to our stock of food! But 1t IS ad
ding more than POO, 100000 new mouths
tosfeed, either wholly or in part. Now.
and for considerable period after
final peace terms are signed, food will
be in greater demand than ever.
"Bulgaria's withdrawal gives us H.
100000 additional persons to prOvis-
ion. The new safety Of the seas makes
it possible to send supplies to .1SO, O,OOO,-
600 people in Russia, the Balkans and
elsewhere, who long have been threat
ened with starvation but to whom it
was too perilous to ship food.
''NOw, augmenting these new claim
ants are the hungermaddened crowds
rof the central powers. President Will
son points out that our aid is essen
tial to aver disorder and save the re-
forms for which We have fought from
anarchy-likc destruction. Shipping of
the central nations soon will avail
able for additional exports. "-
.L''How acute is the situation3 may be
gathered from government calcula-
tions of our resources. There are just
so many cattle, so many sheep, so
many hogs and so much grain in this
country. The problem is not how to
ship it but how to make it go around.
Here are the latest statistics Of live
stock on the farms:
Cattle 6GS3O.O0O.
"Sheep 4S,900,0OO. ~.
' Hogs 71,374,0O.
This is not as greatly in excess Of
the normal figures as one would wish.
In 1913, there were 56,527 900 cattle,
81, $4,000 sheep and 61,17s,00O hogs.
But already, without the new fac
tors, the presence Of 100000 Amer
ican soldiers in Europe, added to the
necessities of our allies, has brought
our exports to an unbelievable figure.
Exports of bacon in the first seven
months of this year were not far from
being equal to the total bacon exports
for the five years preceding the war.
"These heavy expectations have fore
ed us to speed up production to such
a high pitch that further large ex-
pansion canot be effected with the
same facility that would be possible
in slack times Each additional pound
of beef sent abroad means strenuous
effort at home. Even South America
production will feel, the strain. We
must awaken ourselves Immediately
to the seriousness Of the situation.
Whether it means the government will ;
be forced to continue its policy of
maintaining minimum prices on hogs,
or perhaps even to establish maximum
prices, no one can say now.
ut does mean. however, that the
farmers must produce rs never before
but the packers must continue their
night and day shifts and manufacture
as never before, and that the Amer
ican public must cooperate as never
before-if the world is to be fed and
saved for democracy.
1--WE have been selling our stuff to
the governments of democracy at
prices controlled by the United States
Food administration, and, although it
seems not generally known, our latest
figures how that we have been serving
meat to the American civilians well
within the profit margin fixed by the
government. -5r t-'-,s5 @
"We are facing a posture Of affairs |
in which the president intimates that
the accomplishment of the very things !
for which we have been fighting de- !,
pends. in the countries of our enemies, |
on salvation from hunger; on sanity |
healthy minded, healthy-bOdied |
Judgment g..
The producers, the packers and the
people must strain their powers. We
intend to do our part. We bespeak !
the cooperation of stockmen. consum- |
ers and also our wage-earners, whom /
we wish to protect against so far as
possible against any sudden wage de-
cline.
'The food administration. which es-
tablished cvigorous regulations, but |
which We willingly guided our work.
our methods and our sales, has achiev-
ed tremendous results in all directions.
We are proud to have co-operated in
such success. Prombles just as great !
and just aSsyEaye now face US. No one |