Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1920 — NO RELIEF FROM H. C. L. FOR YEAR [ARTICLE]

NO RELIEF FROM H. C. L. FOR YEAR

Scientist Says Social and Industrial Unrest Must First Be Calmed. PARTS OF WORLD ARE HUNGRY Hardly Any Factor of Business That Is Stable—Production Has Been Crippled in Many Countries-— Distribution Disorganized. London.—The world can expect no relief from the present high cost of living and the shortage of commodities until the widespread social and Industrial unrest has disappeared and the war shattered economic machinery has been put in order, according to Charles A. McCurdy, parliamentary secretary to the ministry of food. Mr. McCurdy said that he was not particularly optimistic over the chances of any marked betterment of the situation 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 conditions. “It is very difficult to prophesy regarding the food situation of the future, 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 t«i stable and wo do notknewwhat wages are to be. As a result of these conditions the regular channels of distribution 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 it Is true that America, England and some other -countries are sufficiently supplied now so that -there Is no distress among the people, yet this comparativeabundance is th reality a fictitious one and may not last. Great sections of the world, are actu<Hy hungry because of the impossibility of distributing supplies properly, If the channels of distribution were open and the economic conditions were such that foodstuffs could be purchased by those countries which need them we probably won Id find ourselves faced with a shortage in many things. ______ " *For example, if the peoples of central Europe should be in a position next year to purchase the meat they need, there would be a world shortage of several million tons. It is improbable that they will be able to buy, but it is impossible to predict so far in advance. I believe that, a-year from now. things will have been brought to a head and that the world will be facing its most critical time. “There are those who tell me that I am wrong in my outlook and that there will be no shortage, but I can figure it no other way. There certainly are many countries now which

are securing far below what they need in the way of foodstuffs, and when the time conies 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 considered also. Where production has been stimulated during the war It must ultimately revert to normal. It is not natural as it stands. In the United States, for instance, the meat production has been artificially stimulated, and it is hard to estimate when this temporary condition will vanish. America next year may be an importer of meat, instead of a big exporter. 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 11 per cent In sheep and a larger shortage in pigs. Because of this Europe would have to import 3.500,000 tons of meat this coming year, if it were to return to its pre-war consumption. “In regard to wheat the exportable surplus of the world Is down compared with that before the war. Import requirements at the same time are up. The same thing is true of butter, and in some countries its consumption has been increased by the lack of margarine. There is also n sugar shortage. The beet sugar production has dropped off 4,200,000 tons InEurope sin ce 1914. The cane sugar production of the world meantime has increased onlvl^XMXXltens. —

“In discussing prices we must con-

sider 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 advanced 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 economic effects peculiar to foodstuffs are not the determining factor, but economic conditions as a whole. ‘‘There seems to be a tendency In many countries to expend war wages and profits on consumption—goods, -food, clothing, etc}—to a greater extent than on thie purchase of raw materials for the extension of industry. It may be partly due to this consumption that goods on the whole have such an upward trend since the armistice.”