Arizona republican., 1919-01-03

With a forecast: War certainly held the center of the stage in 1918, and the promise of the American Executive that force with out limit would be eXerted by this country in the great battle for freedom was brilliantly fulfilled. So immersed were the American people in the con- flict that war may be said to have be- come their chief, indeed almost their only, business Every energy was bent to the purpose either of fashioning the weapons Of warfare or of providing men to use them, of supplying the needs of the fighting forces and of the vastly larger number of those who merely aided these forces, the while that supplies of food for our own men and our allies abroad were forthcoming without stint, except where American men, women and children, on the mere request of our government. forebore to eat their normal foods in order that our army and our allies armies and civilian populations should have enough. Thus it was that ordinary civilian trade took, as it were back seat, that many non Warlike occupations were curtalled or entirely suspended, and that every one could feel that whether on the bat tletleld, in the office, in the factory or on the farm, all were engaged in 9 common cause and for a common end. Then just as the mighty machine that had been built up for war purposes be- gan to function powerfully and victor lously, the enemy's collapse came. and the remainder of the year was given over to the process of demobilizing, the industries single mindedly devoted to | war were directed back to peaceful lines, and the processes of unharness- ing trade and of unfiXing prices went forward with as much if not greater speed than had the work of diverting peaceful energies to warlike purposes
 Ate Substitutes
 These readjustments, which at the 1 time of writing are still in process, with l the unsettlement inseparable therefrom, and the uncertainty prevailing as to | future price levels, now that the great urge of government buying was re- moved, gave a quieter tone to wholesale 1 trade and industry in the closing months, while the influenza epidemic early and natural conservatism bred by displacement of many thousands of workers later, operated to hold down retail trade, which was only partly re- couped by an excellent holiday demand in the closing weeks of the year.
 In the work of feeding our allies, really marvellous plan of substitution Of other cereals for wheat was first neces sary in 1918, and to bring this about, the 51a to bushels per capita of do. nestle consumption at the outset was cut down to below three bushels. The average for the entire year was not over four bushels, and whereas at the outset of the cereal var 1918 total eX- port of only 40,000,000 bushels was esti- mated as possible from our deficient I.,, cl,ir 000,000 bushels without apparent injury to our own population, which accepted Wheatless and meatless days, record high levels of prices. some rather dras- tic limitations of individual liberties, and a myriad of other sacrifices, as something all in the days work" of winning the war. In doing this, by the way, the free stock of wheat was re- ducedto ten days supply by the time the new crop was available.
 Steady Tend Upward
 Up to the middle of the year, the movement of commodity prices, if a slight seasonal reaction in March be excepted, was quite steadily upward, reflecting the needs of our allies, the high buIJing power of our own people, and, last, but not least, the concen- trated buying of our government for army needs (4000,000 men being in arms and a still greater number being in prospecD The August 1 number hoW<er, reflecting, as it did, govern ment price fixing of cotton goods showed a decline, and the following numbers showed a rathr uncertain but on the whole, downward trend until De- cenber l, when, contrary to many eX- pectations based on the return oi peace, the Index Number moved sharp ly upward, due to the rise in meats and dairy products, which, of course, are and have been in a class by them selves, owing to war demands. Illustra- tive of this it might be said, a selected list of meats, breadstuffs, dairy pro- dvctS and groceries on July 1, 1918 showed gains of 65 to 160 per cent as compared with the prices ruling at the outset of the great war in 1914. Brad streets approximate Index Number O. December l shows that prices as { whole are only seven-tenths of 1 pel cent below the high point of July l, arc & per cent above December l a yea ago, and 11S per cent above the leve ruling on August l, 1914. Compared with April 1, 1917, on the eve of our en try into the war, the advance is 90 pc cent. The Index Number for the entirt year 1918 is $1S.73, which is 216 pel cent, above the low record year 1896 twenty-five years ago.
 The Crops
 Of the crop outturn of 1918, it may h, said that it was excellent in part, fai in other respects and bad in but few the conspicuous shortages being, how ever, in animal feeding stuffs, corn hay. oats, and potatoes, which ha been an unfavorable element in tn matter of meat production and prices Owing to a record yield of sprin; wheat, the wheat crop as a whole wa classitle as good. though 100,000,00 bushels below the high record of 1914 Oats and potatoes fell off little, but tn loss in corn due to drought in the sum mer is hard to make up. Barley, rye sweet potatoes, peanuts and beans an tobacco all showed record yields. Cot ton yields were larger than in either c the preceding two years, but shor when measured by the yield of 1914. l the matter of -rices naid farm pro ducts left little to be desired, corn. DO tatoes, rye, beans and cabbage ben among the few showing smaller finan cial returns. Cereal crop values as
 whole. $6.971, ,s34, 900, break all records exceeding 1917 by per cent, and a crops, valued at $12.2I2,412.0 .000 gaine ! per cent, over the preceding year, il self a high record point in vaues. The' financial returns, counled with th planting of a record area 49,02I.0( acres, in winter wheat. with the thiT highest condition recorded. contain ey cellent promise for tho coming year $ far as the farmer is concerned. espeG tally so in that an excellent price
 g- -ranteed him for 1919, in case, as
 possible. a yield exceeding that of 19l is realized.
 Goods And Ships
 We believe that big potential dt
 Oand for s-oodS eXiSf at 1 nrice and