New-York tribune., 1918-02-04

tion, at least the food control which has
been proposed far, for if low food prices
and maximum production are considered
imperative there is only one way in which
they can be secured, and that would be to
Fut the whole nation meal ticket and
draft everybody and put every one at work.
lake all the individuality out of the men
and We would have condition like Ger
many, where the time lost by the workers
waiting in the bread line for their meal
ticket and then for the meal is far greater
than the food is worth
The policy of so controlling the present
crop that it creates lack of confidence in
the minds OF the producers is not only
national but an international peril.
Germany Failed
FROM the reports of the German govern
ment on food production we find that in
1914, before the war began or the wear it
oegan, Germany produced two and one-half
"illions of tons of proteds. At the end
OIL the first year Of war. in spite of all her
preparation and in spite of the fact that
inc laborer on the farm was not taken
tor IN Germany the labor is done largely
by women-and in spite of economy of thu
most drastic type ever known, with all these
provisions, the production dropped to 1,50O,-
WV tons. The succeeding year it fell to
l,2OO,o0O tons. 1t was a signal failure. hut
IN Great Britain, where for two years thare
was no price fixing, and in France, where
there was less than in Germany, the produc-
ton OF proteids increased.
food constitutes but 40 per cent of the
expenditure of the working mans do,,.r
an sone cases even less Why not con-
centrate or at least devote some attention
10 the remaining 60 per cent instead of
having II all centred on food? To ieopard;ze
lood producers by compelling foodstuffs to
De sold at relatively lower price than otbsr
commodities is certainly "blatant fo,lv ard
rank lnJustlce,' as British Royal Society
report states. '
An Inevitable Hardship
we near the argument that h;ob f,
pl l'c1s oring special hardship on peonle or
S""i, means, and if prices remain b;ah u,a
Nre pound to have riots and dsturh.noos
oi oiHerent characters in our centras -
reputation The condition exists. hut ~.
~ I.o"''''c inequality is not a war nrodro+
:. IS problem which has troubled the wor,J
rrohIer. ''s entlre existence, the age-lonc
fabric. po''''cai and social
we have but to go to Eurone and s
.lons at work in the attemnt ~ , "s
10y iooo 10 see the extremely chaotic cons;.;s
.nes are now in, and they are certa;r,v r,n.
~ out OF IT. Out of all the work +bot hss
ep.ne forward so far, we have 4 on 49, .
au'Roal'y R Of the Royal Society commiss;or ioe
Of foo% oo0 IN rfeat Britain that "the producers
49, Aooa ~. n'ghe advantageously be left to worL
out their own salvation" "oiN
oonax., IN every case it is found that the food
control problem ultimately works back le ~ ,04a
the the e9pauces and reacts for good or a. on
TINS: Great Britain has realized "smuee that ~ IS
Gssn Has oeen fortunate in not going so far 'as as
uermany in food control. Price fx;na as ;s
ebeADined the nr; in Great Britain and as fast as
:. :"e price has been fixed on one corn,os;s.' ~
~ !. was found inevitable that it necasa;s..
ena.tg sne hxlng Of price on another. and thsu
another and yet another, even lahor ;.saes snes
s1a u''''l % .he authorities began to realize tbat
mone" mo e~'ae reos trade Of the country-and, labor
.'o"eS' producer. distributor and consnn,ar
are arc so bound together that thew bave h,
sara,o tartI reeulat'ons formed an inextricab,s
aa"gIe Of official regulations which furn;aS rnE'e
to devise aS IL IS possible