Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-05-10
MUST INCREASE
FOOD EXPORTS
America Called on by End OF
War to Supply Added
Millions.
ECONOMY STILL NEEDED
Over Three Times Pre-War Shipments
Required-Situation In Wheat and
Fats Proves Governments
Policy Sound.

With the guns in Europe silenced
we have now to consider new world
food situation. But there can be nc
hope that the volume Of our exports
can be lightened to the slightest de-
| gree with the cessation Of hostilities
Millions of people liberated from the
Prussian yoke are now depending
upon us for the food which will keep
| them from starvation.
With food the United States made
! 1t possible for the forces of demoe
racy to hold out to victory. To insure
democracy in tie world, we must con-
tinue to live simply in order that we
may supply these liberated nations OF
| Europe with food. Hunger among a
people inevitably breeds anarchy.
American food must complete the work
of making the world safe for democ-
racy.
, Last year we sent 11,S20,000 tons of
food 10 Europe. For the present year
with only the European Allies to feed,
we had originally pledged ourselves TO
a program that would have Increased
our exports to 17,500,000 tons. Now,
to feed the liberated nations, we will
have to export total of not less than
| @0,09Q 900 toas-practically the limit
Of loading capacity at our ports Re-
| viewing the world food situation, we
! find that some foods will be obtalnable
| in quantities sufficient to meet all
world needs under a regime of eco
nomical consumption. On the other
hand, there will be marked world
shortages in some important commodi-
| ties.
Return to Normal Bread Loaf.
With the enlarged wheat crops
which American farmers have grown,
and the supplies of Australia, the Ar
gentine and other markets now acces-
sible to shipping, there are bread
grains enough to enable the nations to
return to their normal wheat loaf,
| provided we continue to mill flour at
d
maintain economy in eating and the
! avoidance of waste.
In fats there will be a heavy short
age about 3,000,000,00O pounds - in
! pork products, dairy products and
. vegetable oils. While there will he a
shortage Of about three million tons
in rich protein feeds for dairy ami
mails, there will be sufficient supplies
of other feedstuffs to allow economical
consumption.
In the matter of beef, the worlds
supplies are limited to the capacity of
the available refrigerating ships. The
supplies Of beef in Australia, the Ar
gentine and the United States are suf-
ficient to load these ships. There will
I be q shortage In the importing coun-
tries, but we cannot hope to expand
exports materially for the next months
in view of the bottle neck in trans
portation.
We will have sufficient supply of
sugar to allow normal consumption in
his country If the other nations re-
tain their present short rations or in
crease them only slightly. For the
countries of Europe, however, to in
crease their present rations to a ma
terial extent will necessitate our shar
ing a part of our own supplies with
them.
Twenty Million Tons of Food.
Of the world total, North America
will furnish more than 60 per cent.
The United States, including the West
Indies, will be called upon to furnish
100000 tons Of food Of all kinds as
compared with our pre-war exports of
about 100000 tons.
While we will be able to change our
program in many respects, even a
casual survey of the world supplies
in comparison to world demands shows
conclusively that Europe will know
famine unless the American people
bring their home consumption down
10 the barest minimum that will main
tain health and strength.
There are conditions of famine In
Europe that will be beyond our power
to remedy. There are 100000 peo-
pie in North Russia whom there is
small chance of reaching with food
this winter. Their transportation Is
demoralized in complete anarchy, and
shortly many of their ports will be
frozen, even if internal transport
could be realized.
To Preserve Civilization.
At this moment Germany has not
alone sucked the food and animals
from all those masses Of people she
has dominated and left starving, but
she has left behind her a total wreck
age of social institutions, and this
mass Of people is now confronted with
absolute anarchy.
If we value our own safety and the
social organization of the world, if we
value the preservation Of civilization
itself, we cannot permit growth of this
cancer in the worlds vitals.
Famine Is the mother of anarchy.
From the inability Of governments to
secure food for their people grows
revolution and chaos. From an ability
to supply their people grows stability
Of government and the defeat Of an
archy. Did we put it on no higher
plane than our interests in the pro-
lection Of our institutions, we must
bestir ourselves in solution of this
problem.