The sun., 1919-08-14
BARNES ASKS ALL
TO PAY CHEERFULLY
Wheat Director Sees No Relief
From Prevailing Prices I'm
til Next Harvest.
90 P. @. CROP IN EUROPE
Flour Consumption in u. s,
Has Dropped From 285 Lbs.
to III Per Head.

yuffus II. Barnes, the FEDERAL Wheat
Director. issued another statement yes
terday asking the public to accept the
wheat situation p~hilosophica1fy ana 10
continue to PAL the prevailing prices for
bread cheerfuiiy until the next harvest
gincs his last defence Of the guarantee
fsure estabiished by the Government
Mr.. Barnes has discovered that n crop
report has dropped about 2oo.o0o.ooo
bushels.
He directs q hopeful eye toward Eu-
rope, where he say In spite of the war
90 per oent. of the normal crop has been
planted. His statement IN supplemental
20 ths one he made public IN August 9.
II says:
'"rhs Government crop report issued
August 8 confirmed my worst fears,
showing q fan from he high prospect Of
1880 oo, 900 busteis. June 1, to 10000
0eo bushels prospect rs Of Angus, l, In
the United States. Knowing that Oal ada
has suffered a similar deterioration II is
evident that the expected surplus OF
North American wheat has been u In
two.
"A survey Of the bread grain crops Of
Europe and OF Burope's minimum con-
sumption requirements. with the mos
favorable estimate justified of the sur
Plus available from the United States.
Canada, Argentina and Australia indi-
Gates a most discomforting margin. On
q~uestionably the supply and demand
situation Of the world Is such hat the
American guarantee price Ia certainly
not above q world level
II have been In accord with those
who felt hat n the guarantee main
tanned wheat prices above tho world
value of wheat, then that measure Of
Initiation should be charged against the
national Treasury ~ q war expenditure
ana not assessed upon the consumer. In
view Of the disappointing shrinkage in
the bread grain crop OF he world, and
particularly In America, that In no longer
a practical question. The American peo-
pie. when they appreciate this, WI, ]
conceive, accept II philosophically and
pay their s-elf-respecting way to sim an
other harvest, confident as I am, that
before then the weapons of war In Eu-
rope will become Instruments of produc-
ton and thus reduce the call on Amsri-
can food.
'The wheat director has had q party
Of crop experts In Europe for three
months. Travelling by automobile 5000
miles from Paris, across Austria, Serbin,
Rumanie, into Russia, back through Pc
land. Czecho- S1ovakia, Hungary, Ger.
many. Belgium n northern France, in
that entire distance only once. when
their machine was mired for three hours
in the lOwlands Of a river bank, did the,
have amy trouble whatever. although
several times they crossed railroad
bridges which had been replanked tc
serve wagon travel as well. Our con.
clusion IL that in many sections of Eu.
rope 80 per o Of the normal cror
acreage has been put In against tire.
mendous difficulties n probably tn,
average In Europe Is above rs per cent
In spite Of lack Of man power, nipple
ments and horses. a most reassurint
commentary on the normal desire o
mankind to work and to produce. II
some sections food Is ample. but distri
button to the ~congested centres Is bro
ken not only by railroad and watel
transport DISCRIMINATION but also by tn,
political obstruction, stu perpetuated b,
racial a~ntagonism. The showing Is YER,
hopeful and another year of peace will
put these people far on the road to com
plete self-support-
A equally astonishing development q
home lies In our own flour consumption
Our pre-war normal consumption wa
236 pounds per capita per annum, whicl
py the way ID lower than in most coun
tries OF Europe. During the crop yea.
Just ended u -four consumption Il
America has been no higher than IT
pounds per capita We are forced b
h conclusion that with better spending
power In our people they have gone I
the more expensive foods, probabI.
meats.
The annual food bill of America 1
calculated at $1s.O 900. 900, 200. A resto
ration of u normal -four consumption
to 2s6 pounds. and a displacement there
by Of the higher priced foods, would say
U people fully 1000. 600. 900.
For that section of the public tina
proposes outright subsidy Of food Their
Is only the reply hat the act estab
fishing the wheat director office did no
contemplate nor authorize deliberat
subsidy Of food n that that policy car
not be embarked upon without the un
eQuivocal direction of ConRresa."