Charlevoix county herald., 1920-01-09
NO RELIEF FROM
H. C. |. FOR YEAR
Scientist Says Social and Indus
trial Unrest Must First
Be Gained.
PARTS OF WORLD ARE HUNGRY
Hardly Any Factor Of Business That
ls Stable-Production Has Been
Crippled in Many Countries
Distribution Disoroanized.


relief from the present high cost OF
living and the shortage Of commodities
until the widespread social and indus
trial unrest has disappeared and the
war shattered economic machinery
has been put in order, according TO
Charles A. MoCurdy, parliamentary
secretary to the ministry of food. Mr..
McCurdy said that he was not partic-
ularly optimistic over the chances OF
any marked betterment of the situa-
ton in the near future
"We have bolshevism at one end Of
the world and widespread strikes at
the other" said Mr.. McCurdy, "and
not until society resumes its normal
course can we right economic condi-
tions.
"It is very difficult to prOphesy re-
Karding 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.
Parts Of World Hungry.
"While II Is true that America, Eng
land and some other countries are
sufficiently supplied now so that there
Is no distress among the people, yet
this comparative abundance Is in re-
Great sections Of the world are actu-
ally hungry because of the impOssi-
bility of distributing supplies prop
erly. II the channels of distribution
were open and the economic condi-
tions 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
tral Europe should be in a position
next year to purchase the meat they
age of several million tons. 1t is i'm
probable that they will be able to buy,
but ii is impossible TO predict so far
in advance. l believe that, year from
now, things will have been brought to
a head and that the world will be fac
ing its most critical time.
"There are those who tell me that
l am wrong in my outlook and that
there will be no shortage, but ! can
figure ii no other way. There cer-
tainly are many countries now which
are securing far below what they need
In the way of foodstuffs, and when
the time comes for them to buy it will
be impossible to refuse them their
fair share of what the world produces.
"There Is another factor to be con
sidered also. Where production has
been stimulated during the war it
must ultimately revert to normal. 1t
is not natural as II stands. In the
United States, for instance, the meat
production has been artificially stim-
ulated, and it is hard to estimate when
this temporary condition will vanish.
America next year may be an import
er of meat, instead of a big exporter.
Q See what that would mean to the rest
Of the world.
"On the other hand, production has
been crippled in many countries.
Shortage in Europe.
"In Europe as a whole. there is an
actual shortage Of IL per cent in sheep
and larger shortage In pigs. Be
cause of this Europe would have to
import 3,5OO,OOO tons of meat this
coming year, II it were to return to
its pre-war consumption.
"In regard to wheat the exportable
surplus of the world Is down COM
pared with that before the war. I'm
port requirements at the same time
are up. The same thing is true of
butter, and In some countries its con-
sumption has been increased by the
lack of margarine. There is also a
sugar shortage. The beet sugar pro-
duction has dropped off 100000 tons
in Europe since 1914. The cane su:
gar production Of the world meantime
has increased only 100000 tons.
'In discussing prices we must con-
slider the meaning of the phenomenon
in the United States, where there is
no food shortage but an exportable
surplus. The food supply is above
normal. and yet the prices have ad-
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 eco
nomic conditions as whole.
There seems to be tendency In
many countries to expend war wages
and profits on consumption-goods
food, clothing, etc.-to a greater ex-
tent than on the purchase of raw ma
terials for the extension of industry.
II may be partly due to this consump
tion that goods on the whole have
such an upward trend since the ar