Denver labor bulletin., 1918-08-31

Don't Those Figures Pile Up?
This new flour isn't coming be-
cause you have failed Hoover; it is a
way of killing two birds with one
stone. First, it will permit of more
exact calculations in building up the
reserve of two hundred million bush
els of wheat which Hoover wants to
have on July l, 1919; second, it will
save you lot of trouble and red tape
in doing what you have proved your
selves absolutely and happily willing
to do, and what it is as important as
ever that you should continue to do.
Reduced to figures, here is what you
made possible:
We sent to our allies, in the fiscal
year 1916-17, 259,900,000 bushels of
cereals and cereal products. In 1917
Is we sent 340, 500, 900 bushels-an in
crease of S0,900,000 bushels. And in
the first year our exports were all out
of surplus-in the second we raised
just enough for our own normal de-
mand, so that it was only by reducing
that demand that we were able to feed
our allies.
You have to think over these figures
before you can appreciate what you
made possiblel In 1916-17, out of a
surplus of something like 100000
bushels 1--WE had a worlds record
wheat crop, you remember, in the pre-
cious harvest) we sent over 1876, 5,100,-
900 bushels of wheat and 100000
bushels of rye-wheat and rye being
the prime breadstuffs. In 1917-1S,
when, as the result of subnormal
crop and what was almost corn
blight, we sent 131 100000 bushels of
wheat-and every bushel of it you
savedl We sent l3,9O0,000 bushels of
rye, so that there was an increase
of 100000 bushels of the prime
breadstuffs-all saved by you. More
over, since those figures were tabu-
lated, 100000 bushels more from
our scant 1917 crop have reached our
allies-so that we actually sent more
wheat out of our savings, in this last
lean year, than we sent out of our
abundance the year beforel And we
also spared 100000 bushels more to
neutrals who faced starvation unless
we helped them.
1t isn't wheat alone. We have built
up a surplus of bacon and ham "over
there" For the first time since 1914
our allies have that comfortable feel
ing that comes when you know that if
something happens to the deliveries
you can scare up a bite in the ice
box and on the shelves of the closet.
In 1867 we sent to our allies g.
166 100000 pounds of meats and fats
which means all sorts of meats and
meat products, canned and powdered
milk, butter, cheese, vegetable oils,
lard, and SO forth. And in 1917-18
crease of 844 SOC, 900 pounds. That
increase didn't come out of vastly in
creased production either! 1t repre-
sents what you didn't eat-it repre-
sents your meatless days, your ab-
stention from bacon at breakfast, all
your self-denials and sacrifices in the
way of foregoing fried potatoes and
extra pats of butter! And next year
you will send even more.
Corner Has Been Turned.
The food administration, playing
affectionately with figures, turns up
all sorts of little statistics. For ex-
ample, it says that from April /, 1917,
to April l, 1918, we sent enough food
over there to ration completely more
than 21,000,000 men-and to give
them, at that, an excess of protein and
fat! Before the war we used to send
enough to France, Great Britain and
Italy each year to ration about g.
100000 men. We used to send, on an
average-this was before 1914-153,-
ZOO,JOo pounds OF DdCOu u year 10 Lne
western allies In our first war year
we sent 400 ,523 ,133 pounds. Was it
worth while to heed that line the good
hotels had all last winter on their
menus: please do not order bacon?"
Was it? We used to send 1904, ,537
pounds of fresh beef-in our first war
year we sent 235, ,368,478 pounds. How
about those steaks you didn't order?
The corner has been turned in this
matter of food. Hoover knows now,
and so do you, that you can do all that
is needful, and that we can supply the
allied world. This year, in all prob
ability, we won't have to deny our
selves quite so sharply. We won't
have a surplus. And we are facing
the certainty that we can't have as
big a harvest next year as we are
looking forward to now. We have lost
too many men-lent too many men to
Pershing, rather. So we will have to
keep on saving.
You know about flour. Sugar you'll
have to use very sparingly-two
pounds month person, for all pur-
poses, from August l to January l.
There won't really be enough sugar
for everyone again until peace comes.
Even after peace we'll all have to go
easy for time. Meat and fat ought
to be a little more plentiful in this
coming year. There's going to be a
big corn crop, and, since corn means