The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-05-29
Predict Famine Food Prices

The United states may go hungry next winter
" presen, farm labor conditions do not change rad
ieaiiy and Immediately.
This Is the dietum Of authorities on farm and
agricultural subjects who have studied the farmers
situation with growing alarm In spite OF the drop
In price Of clothing and other cofnmoduea 1000
stuffs will continue their present rise. "n
Famine prices and q shortage OF farm prod"e'a
predicted
The chief cause for such conditions IN the exodus
OF farm labor.rs from the To the city where
sky.hgh wages and abort hourS outshine the a,
fractions of rural life -HApds- simply win not
stay In the country. say fsrmer~ unless wages are
offered than that completely destroy whatever
small profits might Be made by the iAndo~nr A.
illustration. Missouri farmer tells OF an et
perience in kAnaAs City. where he ~as tying 10
s~t two men In front Of the movie at an AFTER
Matinee he says were probably 20 husky
youths waiting for the doors 20 OPEN Yet not one
OF them. tho many were out OF employment ~ou'a
work a farm" This In typical OF any number
OF experiences
That the fear for next winters food supply 10
Idle h testified by plenty of sta'in'icn
Carl Williams editor Of tho Oklahoma Farmer.
stockmsn. tells that IL 900 900 acr~s ~ OF wheat
were planted IN the fall Of 1918 than in tho fall
OF 1918. and that much 100000 acres VIII
b len implanted this spring on account OF late
seasonsl conditions and labor. Here In an est
mated decrease Of bushels OF wheat In the
United sta,es alone compared with year aSo
Foreign reports confirm the prospect Of world
shortage OF wheat
coming him within the yeaS.- writes H.
w. coiinxwood Of the Rural New Yorker. "Sex,
winter viii food In the country than a,
time during the war unisss we have the most
favorable and better conditions Of farming
Our reports there all way Farmers are
hiring labor largely solely because they abeo
iuteiy unable obtain help The supply OF farm
labor In the United States this year. the Bureau Of
Crop Estimates reports L. only "a per cent Of nor.
NAL whereas the demand - 80 per cent above
normal
No keen perception n necessary discover VIA,
these disturbing predictions may n steps
taken TO relieve the shortage OF farm labor.
the United States and all the countries depending
for grain. for fruits for meat win suffer
desperately winter. II viii be than
high prices. aitho they Win b. high and injurious
enough The food viii be absolutely unobtanabie. i,
win not have been produced.
Perhaps the Increasing immigration and decreasing
emigration may help solve the problem. II the
100000 foreigners entering Americas shores within
the NEXT four months routed directly to the
great fields Of the Middle West instead of being al
lowed To conEr~gnfe in dirty. unhealthy siums ~
the large Eassern cities. their may prove To be
the preservation Of next ysArs food erops
This however. b only solution. one of the
most difficult to effect The immediate problem Is
to get labor on the farms labor OF all kinda The
men who have ieft the farms for the city ar. the
ones who win suffer most II they do not 20 back
this summer.
II all hight for 10 tank about the other
fellow taking up farm work-an right except for
the fact that such attitude win not solve the
problem. The farm problem Just 4. one for each
Of to consider. Labor there this summer may be
The hAlvauon OF the United Statea Of the world
Apparently there Is difference of opinio,
on the amount of $candal in the street-ca,
DEAL