The Washington herald., 1921-10-02

now perhaps too much in terms Of yicors the
of (which the economic side permitted only
vanquished.
WYE are nearly three years from armistice and
w than two from technical peace. But
for the British these three years have been the
whole far terrible than the years OF the war
itself, and at this precise moment the dangers p the
immediate future are almost considerable than
they were even in 1917 The German submarine
blockade has been bropss Food can now reach
Britain in necessary Quantities but up to the present
hour British Industry cannot pay for that food and
British capital sorely reduced by the struggle is
still being burdened with the task of paying for food
which does not in the end yield productive return
And the world is right back at the question of
food which we forgot in the years Of plenty OF the
latter half of the nineteenth century, Germany Ja
pan. Britain feed their home population unless
they able to se manuactufed articles in the for
eign markets and buy food and at the moment the for
eign markets lack the purchasing power to buy Brit
ish, German or Japanese products in the necessary
quantity Moreover, since Russia has gone into an
archy, there is eliminated the one source of cheap
food Not only has Britain for example. to buy food
but to buy il dearly 49,
In recent Geneva sessions and at Wiliiamstowu
the other day. there was huch talk about some reg
ulation OF. the materials Of the world some in
ternational control and parcelng out Of The things
which are the bases of industry. This discussion
must go on because there are only few nations
which actually possess raw materials In quantities
necessary to their industry: AT Washington in the
forthcoming conference there will be much discussion
of the Chinese and Siberian markets But the bottom
fact is that If Japan cannot sell in competition with
other nations in the Far Eastern market she cannot
feed her population and she does not believe that in
fair competition without political advantages she
sell: ~ ~ EEs
THUS British and Japanese policy is, dominated
4 by the question of food, purely aud simply.
France, for example. can feed herself Her recese
census figures showed that while she had recently
acquired 5000 square miles. much Of ii the most
fruitful in Europe. blessed with enormous iron and
phosphate deposits in addition. her population had
declined from 100000 to so,aooooo, and this popu
lation of less than 100000 lived in an area Of aIa
square miles contrasted with the $4,000 for the
47oooooo in the British Isles and 5000 for the 42
10000 in England, Wales Scotland and the Channel,
Islands. Thus France has no need OF the German
market and can afford to fight German economic re-
eoyery when that recovery threatens her own secure
iy. Italy is in the same fix as Brtain-ovsrpcpulat
ed dependent upon the outside world for food and
raw materials, grayey concerned in German recov-
cry and dependent upon Germany or Britain 60
coal. .45 ~
However, to return to our point Of departure. the
British census has immediate value as emphasizing
British problems and as explaining British policy
The Washington conference will be beyond all else
for Britain one more opportunity to bring about 4
Anglo American partnership, the business Of this
partnership to promote and even enforce peace in
the world and to hasten return to porma1 business
Failure to achieve this end will count disaster in
British reckoning, will something <ap-
proximating salvation at the least sweeping re-
duction In the enforced migration which threatens
the greatness of Britain at home
Copyright 1a2t by the Mcclure Newspaper sshdcate)
Sir Ernest ShakIeton has again embarked upon
voyage Of Adventure and exploration in the Antartc