The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-02-27

the consuming centers have only been
supplied by virtue of the summer gar
dens and other stores carried over
from last year. There Is a great deal
OF live stock which has been ready
Tor the market for some time but is
still held In the farmers hands
through inability to secure transpor-
tation. These cattle are eating their
heads off without increasing their
meat value and are only adding to
the costs of the farmer and consum-
ing the grain
The effect OF this delayed move
ment has been many fold:
First. to jeopardize the safety Of q
great deal of the soft corn and per-
ishables such as potatoes.
Second. The structure in flow OF
distribution has entirely disturbed the
price conditions I'm the country by
practically suspending the law of sup
ply and demand. The margins be-
tween the farmer and the consumer
In many commodities were never wild
err than they are today because the
consuming trades are undersupplied
and the farmers compete for trans.
portation. Prices Of the coarse grains
have reached unheard of levels, while
the limited transportation he'd dimin-
ished the farmers returns.
Third. The cost of grains for feed
ing live stock has SO increased to the
feeders OF finished cattle that they
race serious losses. The costs Of the
dairying industries have necessarily
greatly increased.
Fourth. Through the large con-
suming areas we have been living off
reserves through the period of scant
supplies. These reserves ere i'm many
sections approaching exhaustion.
%. We have been unable to trans
port to seaboard the necessary food
stuns for the allies. This has not
been due SO much to the actual ina
bility of the railways giving priority
to foodstuffs for allied shipping as it
mas to. bringing products from the
farms to the terminal markets, where
It can be aggregated. prepared and
purchased by the allies.
THE economic qualifications of this
whole delay in the movement of the
national harvest are almost countless
and they present the most critical of
situations OF which no solution ex-
lists but a continued expansion of the
efforts of the railroad administration
in the movement of foodstuffs In ev-
cry direction to the exclusion of
much other commerce of the country.
Considerable progress has been made
in the last 10 days. but continued
rises in the price of cereal commodi-
ties and the failure to secure sufR-
cient. surplus over Immediately do
mestic consumption to feed the allies
are evidence that there is still a de-
hciency In food cars and that they
need still further to be increased.
Comparisons OF the movement
from day to day during the last few
days with movements of similar peri
DDS last year reflect the efforts being
made by railroad directorate. We
have, however, a long accumulation
to be gotten over within the next co
days. The situation calls for every
of the public-through
the quick loading of cars. loading
them to capacity. and dischargins
them quickly--and in every way re-
ducing the immediate tax on the
Cooperation can be given
by reduction In consumption of home
and local stores to the inclusion SO
far as may be of transported articles
IL every interest cooperates we shall
supply the allies and remedy the dis
tribution Of our domestic supplies for
our farms are full of foodstuffs.
mo effort is being spared to NOV,
allied food as fast as it can be ac-
i'm the interior and today
the railroad directorate Is arranging
special trains to carry meat and
packing house products from Chica-
go to load the waiting ships