Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-09-17

1888 she was experiencing a shortage IN
pork, which is the most important item
in German meat consumption. The
country's record cattle stocks of year
earlier had been sharply reduced by foot
and-mouth disease AS for fats,
German governmental discussion of the
country's economic situation at 1895
beginning states:
1.-THE supply of fats presents special
set of problems so far as German food
stuffs are concerned. For long Germany
has required high imports in this field.
Nevertheless 1t has been possible to re-
duce dependence on the outside world
from about go per cent in total require
ments in 1882 to about As per cent in
1887. "Since the earlier year the pro-
duction of butter has made favorable
progress, rising from about $4,000 metric
tons in 1882 to $4,000 in 1887. In this
way it was possible to cover some Sc
per cent of German butter consumption
steadily increasing as it was-from
home sources. The production fell some
what in the course of 1888, owing to
foot and-mouth disease and the shortage
of dairy workers, and as result the
previously existing retail butter quotas
had to be cut by Is per cent as from
October, 1888"
Biggest Suppliers Cut Of.
Germanys principal sources of fat i'm
ports have been seven countries with
which trade now is practically out of
the question: Brazil India British Ma
laya, Chile, France, New Zealand and
French West Africa. Other suppliers still
available in varying degrees of COM
pleteness are Hungary, the source of II
per cent of Germany's imported lard and
tallow; Denmark, the source of "a per
cent of the butter and rs per cent of
the lard and tallow; Esthonia, supplier
of per cent of the butter imports, and
the Netherlands, source of IA per cent
of the butter
The potentialities of Russia actually
are Understandable, but it is large
scale producer Of wheat, which Germany
needs, and of variety of other goods
customarily imported from the Western
countries or the Southern countries.
Russian agricultural commerce in 1888
amounted to very little. Germany's re-
lations and expectations in Southeastern
Europe are clearer. In recent years Ger
many has been directing the general
economy of these countries in a way
aimed at satisfying Germanys wants to
the detriment of the welfare of the
countries themselves
IF the resources of the Danubian area
are now to be developed under German
leadership, within relatively short pc
Rod of time and despite certain difficult
ties this region can doubtless cover
practically all of Germanys remaining
import requirements of foodstuffs and
feedstuffs except fats" Hans Richter, the
technical assistant in the Belgrade Office
of the American Foreign Agricultural
Service, reported to the United States
Government last spring.
Great Field Awaits Reich.
The agricultural and raw-material
potentialities of Southeastern Europe are
great, and the progress hitherto made in
developing them has been only mod
crate" Mr.. Richter goes on.
The latest news of the crop situation
abroad in Germany and those countries
on which she now depends is favorable
to the prospects of German dietetic salts
faction. In most European countries food
supplies on hand at the present time
are somewhat larger than normal. This
is especially true of the broad grains
wheat and rye. Germany herself has
nearly twice as much wheat on hand as
year ago, and this should help Offset
any deficiency that might occur in next
years harvest.
Meanwhile, Germany has moved to-
ward increasing the agricultural output
in what used to be Austria and what the
Germans officially now know as East
mark. A company has been organized
to establish plant for the production
of nitorgen at Linz, with the all-impor-
tant by-product of fertilizer.
Fertilizer to Augment Harvests.
The fertilizer will be used largely to
supply the greatly increased demand ex-
pected to develop in consequence of
measures instituted for intensifying and
rationalizing agriculture in Eastmark
Official figures show that in recent years
Austrias annual consumption of nitro
gen was two Kilograms per hectare Gland
measure) as compared with 10 Kilograms
in old Germany.
Thus Germany has entered on the war
prepared to eat as well as to fight. OF
course, Germany's own production must
decline with the men leaving the fields
the Danube Basin countries had not
gone so far as Germany could have
wished to insure her complete independ-
ence of the Western world from a dietary
viewpoint.
One immediate result of satisfactory
of the Polish campaign will be the avail
ability to Germany of Poland's record
grain crop yield for 1885, But this gain
is offset by the fact that the Poles must
be the principal consumers of their own
wheat, oats and rye. To justify Marshal
Goering's confidence, Germany even
while she fights must continue to prime
the Southeastern European countries to
produce more and more for Germany
After the first two years of war, the food
problem will be acute.
West From American
Point of View Is East