Bisbee daily review., 1918-02-22

| lation of three months delays 'sThe next sixty days will be the most critical period in our food histo- ry The simple fact is that the prob lem gOesf ar deeper than supplies to the allies. During the last three months we have far fallen behind in movement of foodstuffs from the farms to the consuming and storage centers- Up to the first of February less than 50 percent of the normal ratio of corn has been moved. less than so percent of the oats and less than SO percent of the potatoes From November l to January 1 we were short in the usual movement of grains and grain pro ducts into the terminals alone by over ! 120.00 carlOads-cver 10000 900 bush els-and this was further aggravated | by similar shortage outside. the termi- nals.
 May Lose Corn
 Furthermore. this year we have the largest percentage of soft corn in many years and though we have a rec ord crop of corn. a considerable DOT tionO the soft corn will be lost by spelling unless it can be moved in the next sixty days to the drying termi- nals- The least amount of grain that must be loaded fur the nextsix ty days is S,OOO.O00 bushels per day-and we have not yet attained that Less than this will solve neither the allied nor our own domestic situation
 We have about 130,0O0 carloads of potatoes on November 1 which should have been moved from the pIincipaf producing centers. and up to the first of February We had moved about 2S. 900 carloads while we should have moved over 50.O00 in this period. The result is that potatoes are piled up spelling in the producers hands. and 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 livestock which has been ready for the market for some time. but is still held in the farmers hands through in ability to secure transportation. These cattle are eating their heads of with out increasing their meat value and are only adding to the costs of the far mer and consuming the grain
 The effect of this delayed move ment has been manifold
 First, to jeopardize the safety of a great deal of the soft com and perish ables, such as potatoes
 Farmers Returns Diminished
 Second. the stricture tn flow of dis tribution has entirely disturbed the price conditions in the country by practically suspending the law of sup ply and demand. The margins be- tween the farmer ana the consumer in many commodities wee never wid- CT than they are today because the consuming trades are Erder-supplied and the farmers compete for transpOr- tation- Prices O. the coarse grains have reached unheard of levels, while the limited transportation has dimin- ished the farmers returns
 Third. the cost of grains for feed ing livestock has so increased to the feeders of finished cattle that they face serious losses. The costs of the dairying industries have necessarily greatly increased
 Fourth, through the large consum- ing areas We have been living off re serves through the period of scant supplies These reserves are in many sections approaching exhaustion.
 Fifth. we have been unable to transport to seatoard the necessary foodstuffs for the allies. This has not been due so much to the actual inabii- ity of the railways giving priority to foodstuffs for allied shipping as it has been to bringing products from the farms 10 the terminal markets.
 The economic ramifications of this whole delay in the movement of the national harvest are almost countless and they present the most critical of situations, of which noJ solution exists but a continued expansion of the ef- tcrts of the railway administration in the movement of foodstnffs in every direction to the exclusion of much oth- CT commerce of the country Consid- erable progress has been made in the last ten days. but continued rises in the prices of cereal commodities and the failure to secure sufficient surplus over immediate domestic consumption to feed the allies. areevidencs that there is still a deficiency in food cars and that they need be still further in- creased
 Reduce Tax On Railways