Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 111, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 May 1919 — Page 3 Advertisements Column 2 [ADVERTISEMENT]

ALL MUSTBEFED Practically Every European Country Short of Foodstuffs. 1 ■ ■ ’ - „ Agriculturists on This Side of the Water Are Called on to Save the World From Starvation—Western Canada's Great OpF portunity. Considerable discussion Is taking place In the papers as to the amount of money that the United States will have to pay for its guarantee of the price of wheat for 1919. The indications at present are that the treasury will not be affected. Instead of wheat going down the outlook now is that it will go considerably above the present guarantee. It is not only the opinion of a man of the experience of Mr. Hoover that gives weight to this assunipr ion, but we have the glaring faf t that there will be more mouths to feed for this year, and the next year or so. than there were in 1918. and the quantity of food will be little, if any. greater. The assumption is based on the fact lhat Germany. Austria and Poland, and others of the fighting nations, unable to secure food enough in the past two or three years, and still unable to supply it within themselves, will require to be fed. The food can now be taken to them. For some tjme the soldiers will require to be fed; Italy will have its demands. There will be additional shipping, some of which will be needed for requirements of India, but it will also make ocean transport easier. Mr. Hoover is possibly better acquainted than any other individual observer with both the world’s food needs and Its prospects of supplying them.

He is naturally very closely in touch with conditions on this continent and his position as virtual dictator of the distribution of American-grown food in Europe has given him a possibly unique insight into European needs. Mr. Hoover says there will be no surplus from the 1918 crop to carry over into 1919. Even under normal conditions this would be a sufficiently precarious situation, for there naturally never is any possible guarantee that one or more of the great wheatproducing countries in Europe may not experience a crop failure. Under present conditions, however, such lack of surplus is distinctly dangerous, for the very European nations upon which that continent could normally rely for the great bulk of Its wheat, that is to say Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Roumania, will for obvious reasons be unable to supply their own demands for. the coming year. In addition to this, Mr. Hoover points out that famine in India will call for a substantial proportion of the Australian surplus, and that, moreover, a considerable part of the Australian supply, which for lack of shipping has been accumulating ih that country, has spoiled. And the demand Is by no means only for wheat. Mr. Hoover estimated that he would be able to furnish Germany 180,000 tons of grain during the month of April. But it Is asserted that the German stocks of all kinds of grain and of potatoes and vegatables will surely be exhausted before June. Mr. Hoover has also expressed the belief that it is questionable whether under the circumstances food enough can be supplied to tide Germany over until the next harvest. It is quite clear from all this that the world is going to depend more than ever upon this continent to keep the wolf from the door until the wardevastateu and anarchy-ridden countries in Europe can once again feed themselves. Already we read of the protests of British soldiers occupying Germany against allowing German women and children to perish of starvation as they are beginning to do. If these conditions prevail in Germany what must be the state of affairs elsewhere in Europe among nations which have fought with us during the last four years? To sum up. It may be stated with confidence that the demand for every product of the farm will be unprecedented, and that the agriculturist will receive the highest prices on record for all that life, has to sell. The duty of Canada, therefore, Is to keep up its work of assisting, in supplying the need. It can do so. It has the land available at low prices; the market is there; railroad facilities are good, the climate and the soil produce the best wheat In the world. Western Canada offers the opportunity and the unceasing flow of farmers into the country Indicates the fact that advantage is being taken of it.—Advertisement.

Speaking little and well gains repute. v