The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-22
COUNTRY FACING
CRITICAL PERIOD
HOOVER ASSERTS
Administrators Statement
Says Stores in Eastern
Cities Gone.
RAIL CONGESTION
HELD RESPONSIBLE
McAdO0 Resents Implication
and Declares Adequate
Cars Ready.

Washington, Feb. 2l.--Thc eastern
part Of the United States faces a food
shortage likely to continue for the next
80 days.
In making this disclosure tonight.
Food Administrator Hoover declared
that the situation IN the most critical
i'll the countrys history. and that in
many of the large consuming areas
reserve food storos are nj the point
of exhaustion
The whole blame is put hy the food
administrator on railroad congestion,
winch he says, nlAo has thrown tho
food administrator far behind In It's
program for feeding the allies. The
only solution he sees Is "A greatly in
creased rail movement of foodstuffs
even To the exclusion OF much other
commerce.
MoAdoo ResentfuI.
II was very evident tonight that tho
railroad administration Is inclined To
resent Mr.. Hooser's blame Of the rail-
roads and Director General McAdoo
declared h" was ready to provide every
transportation facility for expediting
food movement. The railroad admin
istfation. he said, had suggested that
farmers be urged to release their grain
holdings that large numbers Of avail
able cars might be utilized In moving
them.
Cereal exports to the allies. Mr.
HooYers statement says. viii be
4a.o00,0Oo bushels short on March /,
and meat shipments also are far short
of III" amounts promised.
Inability to move the crops, Mr.
Hoover sets forth, has suspended the
law Of supply and demand and has
created price margin between pro-
dncor and consumer wider than II ever
was before.
Corn Near Spelling.
\ large part Of tn. corn crop is
about To spoil because il is not moving
III terminals for drying. The per.
eehtage OF soft corn In last years
cfoi. all of which must be dried If II
IL 10 bc saved, II the largest ever
known. Estimates place the amount
as high az a billion bushels
Th" cost of grains for feeding live
stock has increased 20 such an extent
by reason Of transportation ai.ficui-
ties. Mr.. Hoover gays, that feeders are
confronted with the respect of scr
Gus losses. Dairying interests, too,
he declares, are hard hit
Potatoes, the food administrator de
clares, are spelling in the producers
hands while consumers have been
supplied from summer garden crops
and stores carried over.
Mr.. Iioover'a statement follows.
hoover's Statement.
In response to many inquiries,
beg 10 say 1t il true that since the
| first Of December, W. have fallen far
| behind our agreed food program with
| the allies. BY the end of February
We viii be short As 900 900 bushels in
| cereal products which We undertook
as our share Of their supplies. We
will also be short Of the amount OF
| meat and pork. produced that We were
to deliver. This deficiency Ii due
| solely TO the railway congestion since
| THAT date. The railway directorate
since coming into control on January
|, has made efforts to find remedy
| but during the month OF January the
weather was insupcrable and although
| progress has been made since the fifth
| of February, the situation Is the ac-
eumulation Of three months delays.
Critical Period Ahead.
The next 50 days viii be the most
critical period In our food history
| The simple fact is that the problem
goes far desHsr than supplies TO the
allies. During the last three months
| We have far fallen behind In movemen,
| Of foodstuffs from the farms TO Tn.
| consuming and storage eenters. Er
| TO the first of February. less than 5,
per cent of the normal ratio of corr
has been moved. less than SO per cen
Of the oats and less than 60 per cen
Of the potatoes. From November
10 January |, We were short in tn
usual movement Of grains and grail
products into the terminals alone b
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