The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-12-20
FOOD MINISTER
NOT OPTIMISTIC

pect no relief from the present high
cost of living and the shortage of COM
modities until the widespread social
and industrial unrest has disappeared
and the war shattered economic ma
chinery has been put in order, accord
ing to Charles A. McCurdy, Parlia-
mentary Secretary to the Ministry of
Food. Mr.. McCurdy expressed this
view during an interview with cor
respondent of the Associated Press,
and added that he was not particular
" optimistic over the chances of any
marked betterment of the situation in
the near future
I'VE have Bolshevism al one end of
the world and widespread strikes at
the other" said Mr.. McCurdy. land
not until society resumes it's normal
course can we right economic condi-
tions.
1T is very difficult to prophesy re-
garding the food situation of the fu-
ture in view of the fact that the whole
economic structure of the world has
been so badly dislocated. There is
hardly any factor of business that is
stable, and we do not know what
wages are to be. AS a result of these
conditions the regular channels OF dis
tribution are disorganized and until
they are normal it will be Impossible
to tell what effective supplies there are
as compared with the world stocks.
while it is true that America, Eng
land and some other countries are SUI
ficiently supplied now so that there IS
no distress among the people, yet this
comparative abundance is in reality
fictitious one, and may not last. Great
sections of the world are actually nun
CRY because of the impossibility of
n ict Sr1pnlieS nronerlv If the
channels of distribution were open and
the economic conditions were such
that foodstuffs could be purchased
by those countries which need them
we probably would find ourselves
faced with a shortage in many things.
For example, if the peoples of Cen
trail Europe should be in position next
year to purchase the meat they need
there would be a world shortage of
several million tons. 1t is improbable
that they will be able to buy but it is
impossible to predict so far in advance.
believe that a year from now things
will have been brought to head ana
that the world will be facing its most
critical time.
There are those who tell me that
am wrong in my outlook and that
there will be no shortage, but can
figure il no other way. There GER
tainly- are many countries now wh1ch
are securing far below what they need
in the way of foodstuffs, and when
the time comes for them to buy, 1t VIII
be impossible to refuse them their fa1r
share of what the world produces. We
cannot let one part of the world starve
while another section has plenty !
There is another factor to be con- |
sidered also. Where production has |
been stimulated during the war 1T |
must ultimately revert to normal 1t |
is not natural as it stands In the |
United States, for instance, the meat |
has been artifically stimu- |
lated and it is hard to estimate when |
this temporary condition will van |
ish. America next year may be an i'm |
porter of meat, instead of a big ex-
porter. See what that would mean to |
the rest of the world.
ION the other hand, production has |
been crippled in many countries. In |
this case the process of getting back |
to normal is likely to be slower than |
in the case of the war-stimulated pro- |
duction.
In Europe as a whole there is an |
actual shortage of II per cent i'm |
sheep and a larger shortage in pigs !
Because of this Europe would have to |
import 100000 tons of meat this
coming year, II II were TO return " J.
its pre-war consumption.
In regard to wheat, the exportable |
surplus of the world is down compared
with that before the war. Import re-
at the same time are up.
The same thing is true of butter and |
in some countries it's consumption has
been increased by the lack of mar
garine. There is also a sugar short
age The beet sugar production has
dropped of 100000 tons in Europe
since 1914 The cane sugar production /
of the world meantime has increased |
but only 100000 tons.
I'm discussing prices we must con-
slider the meaning of the phenomenon
in the United States, where there is
no food shortage but an exportable
The food supply is above
normal, and yet the prices has adj
vanced almost proportionately with
the increase in Great Britain which is
largely an importing country. This
curious. situation makes one realize {
that in estimating food prices the eco
nomic effects peculiar to foodstuffs
are not the determining factor, but |
conditions as whole.
There seems to be a tendency in
many countries to expend war wages
etc. to a greater extent |
for the extension of industry. It may |
be partly due to this that consumption |
of goods on the whole have such an |
upward trend since the armistice."