The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-20
OUR WHEAT SUPPLY IN 1918

IHe enQ1nS or America HfSt year
OF participation in the world war was
fraught with a peculiar significance.
'ust ahead of the Ge-man drive on the
west front came the u. S. Food Ad-
mlnlstratiOn'S warning on March "A
that wheat stocks of the nation are
low. 1t appealed to every citizen to
cut his consumption of wheat -four by
one-l4alf and to limit himself to not
more than six pounds of flour every
80 days.
Public eating places and clubs were
put under more stringent regulations
than ever before. Retailers were re
Quested to cut down the volume OF
their sales of wheat flour Bakers were
told to reduce the size of Victory
Bead lOdyes. Manufacturers using
wheat products for noI-fOOd purposes
were ordered to cease The practice.
In all, the Food administration ask
ed the American DrDple to limit their
eating OF wheat p ducts from now
Mi il>:IVei,L u :. aA,.Xunum Ut Il UUU,-
0u0 bushels per month.
TITS appeal (. l4C somewhat as a
shock, and With it ealization OF the
& IN developments II the war. 1t was
i-lown that we had fulfilled our orig
i.>.l p. uiAlise to the Allies, having eX-
ported by the end OF March 95,OOO,OOO
bushels OF wheat 10 extract so large
a quantity f.oln the nations 1917 crop,
was an almost phenomenal undertake
lui,, mace pvoslule uuiy by the general
cooperation of the American public.
1t was thought by officials that the full
fillment of this obligation would re-
lieve American citizens from further
stringent conservation practices; as
the amount exported was calculated to
be sufficient to bridge the Allies over
to the movement of the South Ameri-
can crop.
Change in Allies Shipping Plans.
The Allies had depended on secur-
ing great supplies from South Ameri-
ca. They had purchased enormous
quantities of wheat in Argentina where
there is an available, eXpOrtable sur
plus of 133,000,000 bushels. If they
could get that wheat across the water
their bread problem would be solved.
But there are not enough ships to go
around just now. Every available yes
sci is pressed into service, carrying
men, munitions, food and war sup
plies. The service of ship is limited
by the distance it traverSeS and it will
require more than twice the ship ton
mage to move wheat from the Argen-
tina than from our Atlantic ports.
If North America could not furnish
handicapped to the extent that it
would require ships to be withdrawn
from their present assignments.
| Fighting the war resolves itself in no
! slight degree upon time, distance and
ships. The tragic ship shortage is re-
| Elected in recent orders cutting down
American imports.
I HON Much Wheat Is In Sight?
Lifting the curtain on the food sup
ply disclosed the fact that on March
| /, the stocks of wheat on farms
amounted to approximately III ,2z2,-
600 bushels. From this about 33,1a0,-
| 600 bushels must be set aside for seed
| ing Of spring wheat, leaving an avail
able balance for marketing in farmers
| hands of 78,152,000 bushels. On the
same date the stocks of wheat in com
mercial hands were 1888, 900 bushels.
This gave total supply IF wheat
available for food purposes Of lat ,845,-
| coo bushels
Flour stocks at mills totaled 1O,202,-
|
visible supply of flour at terminal ele-
| vators of 1884 500 bushels This gave
a total of wheat and flour stocks On
| March 1, of 176,411 500 bushels. From
| this supply the United States must
| feed itself and share with the Allies,
who require of us 100000 bushels
between March 1, and harvest Dur
ing the same period this nation nor
mally consumes OO,0OO,OOO bushels of
| wheat.
To send to the Allies their require
| ments is viewed as military necess-
! ity at Washington. This will leave
| available for home consumption 1O1,-
All 500 bushels, or about one-half Of
what is normally used.
Difficulties of Shipping Increase.
With shipping then the limiting fac
tor, it falls upon the American people
to choose whether they will require
allied ships to move wheat from South
American ports at the expense of the
| needed movement of troops, munitions
and necessaries, thus endangering the
military program, or to release ships
by reducing our own consumption of
| wheat. The Food Administration Off
Gals believe that this cut will be
brought about by voluntary action
of the people supplemented by strict
control of the distributing agencies.
There is plentiful supply of wheat
| In Australia. The better part of two
crops is banked up and storage is be-
coming a serious problem in the Aus
tralian commonwealth. Their export
able surplus is estimated at 100000
| 900 bushels, but it is not thought that
more than 100000 bushels Of this can
be moved from Australia to the United
| States, as sailing vessels are about the
only available TRANSPORTS that ran hA