The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-11
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC j. HASKIN, Director,
WASHINGTON. d. C.,
AS TO WHEAT AND MEAT.

situation with regard to food in this
countr,- may be described as an
abundance in general with a tenn
poraIy slight shortage of wheat, and
an equally temporary special abun-
dance of meat. Food movements are
irregular due to railroad congestion,
and food prices are necessarily rising
in response to a steady initiation OF
the currency, despite the reduction
to minimum of speculation and I'M
fair charge. There is absolutely no
danger of anything resembling a
famine, either now or in the calcula-
BILE fuure.
This summary is offered in the be-
lief that it will be illuminating to
many newspaper readers. When the
food administration announced few
days ago that we faced a wheat short
age, a perceptible shock of alarm was
the result. The timorous citizen had
visions of want if not famine. Then
came the encouraging news that meat
less days were off and meat was COM
ing to market in great quantities.
Forthwith mercurial public, disre-
garding explanatory details, decided
that it's food troubles were over.
Both of these announcements were
part of policy which the food adj
ministration has adopted of telling the
people the truth, taking them as fully
as possible into its confidence. 1t pro-
ceeds upon the assumption that the
public has some common sense. 1t
sharply reverses the usual practice of
government by offering the people
facts instead of platitudes, informa-
ton instead of oratory. The people
are trusted to take these facts literally
and not put alarming constructions
upon them.
The plain fact with regard to wheat
is that we had an abundance of it,
hut sent n 90 IN EsI1r n
the fall of last year we had sent to
Europe all the wheat we could spare
on basis of normal consumption.
BY the first of January we had sent
somewhere between twenty-five and
fifty million bushels more than we
could spare on that basis. In a word,
the American people saved that
amount of wheat by their voluntary
efforts at conservation, chiefly by OBJ
serving wheatless days The allies
bushels of wheat. We have already
sent them $50 million bushels.
The most obvious conclusion from
these figures would seem to be that
by excessive generosity toward the
allies we have crippled our own food
resources. But as matter of fact
there has been no excessive generosity
about it. Every pound of that grain
was sorely needed in Europe. With
out it, the allies could not have held
out until another harvest and the
American forces in Franco should come
to their rescue. Those shipments of
wheat were an essential step in the
process upon which all our hopes of
victory are based.
AS to the inconvenience to ourselves,
it amounts to this: between now and
July wheat will be scarce, and the
American people will probably have to
eat more corn, potatoes and other sub
stitutes for wheat. 1t does not mean
anything like famine, altho that word
has unfortunately been used in con-
nection with the impending condition.
The size of our corn crop alone makes
the suggestion ridiculous We pro-
duced this year about thirty bushels
of corn for every person in the United
States We normally consume about
five and one-h half bushels of grain per
capita per year in this country. Thus
less than one-fifth of our corn crop
would supply US with all the cereal we
needed if We had no wheat at all.
Our yearly per capita consumption
of grain normally, consists of about
four and "a half bushels of wheat and
enc of corn. If we would eat enough
cornmeal to make this three and
a half bushels of wheat and two
bushels of corn, the pr lem of feed
ing the allies until the next harvest
would be an easy one. So that
the sacrifices we are called up
on to make are trivial beside those
of European peoples, and also in
comparison to the magnitude and
significance of the world event of
which they form part. AS Senator
John Sharp Williams says. we have
be rely put our front toe into the war
so far. He might have added that we
nevertheless squeal every time it is
in danger of being stepped on.
Some of the corn crop, of course,
will probably be lost. The western
I i.
sary to move their grain. This will
result in the loss of much soft corn,
but the loss will be small compared to
the size of the CROP
There are several factors that
will tend to mitigate the wheat
shortage, to just what extent cannot
yet be stated. Some of the ships
which we have obtained from the
Dutch government on the condition
that they are not used in the barred
zones will be employed in bringing
wheat from the Argentine. Sailing
vessels, which are also kept out of the
barred zone, will bring wheat from
Australia to the>Western states
The privations of a few weeks of
wheat shortage will be further ameli-
Grated by the increased meat supply
which has been promised by the food
administration: for if people have
abundant meat they need and will use
less grain, and vice versa.
| This extra supply of meat is allowed
| to reach the market primarily as a
concession to the farmers. The food
administration is frank about this
, When the farmers were called upon
| to produce more meat they responded
I They kept on their farms, at a heavy
expense for feed, brood animals
which they could much more profit
ably have sold. They greatly in
creased the nations store of livestock
! Then owing to the car, shortage and
the employment of transportation in
moving grain, they were unable to
| get their stock to market. The result
was that they had to go on feeding the
4 stock at heavy expense Now the mid
| western feeding farms are full of cat
| tie, sheep and hogs of fine weight
and condition. Many of these have
| already eaten mn the profit Ubjcy,