GERMANY'S FOOD

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2236, 24 August 1914, Page 7

GERMANY'S FOOD

DEPENDENCE UPON IMPORTS

THE HOME HARVEST

DECREASED CATTLE SUPPLY

During tho present {generation, Goi> ninny, by placing tariff and other ro- . strictions.upon ■Iμ importation of., foodstuffs and ra-,/materials,--'has-'endea-voured to becomo a self-supporting country. Had iho been content with this one purpose, .she might, havo succeeded, but she strained every nervo at the same timo to become a great manufacturing and exporting nation. She has fallen.. short of her ambitions in both undertakings, and her; failure under the first head has been very marked in certain directions. ■Though the has succeeded in supplying some of her wants, she is to-day dependent upon the rest of the. world for many of the essentials of -her exjstenco. In hoi , efforts to become an exporting, nation she has also become mainly as a consequence, an' importing nation also. An effective stoppage or her food suppljcs from abroad would, in a- few months inflict a greater defeat upon her than armies and navies could . possibly dehieve. g^ The Principal Crops. *

Tho total yield of tlie principal orops in. Germany in 1910 amount'ed to 110,496,339- tons, against 106,882,305 tons in 1009, and 111,935,650 tons in 1908. The surplus over 1909 was chiefly duo to the yield of the meadows, from which' 6,000,000 tons more- were harvested During the previous ten years the , wheat harvest of 1910 was only twice surpassed (in 1902 and 190.6). The cultivation in Germany of rye, ■wliioh is the staple tho poorer people, lias increased steadily, but not in sufficient ratio to nicot the increased demand from home and foreign markets.

Formerly' Germany imported ryo to supplement 'her own harvest, but now she not only grows sufficient for her own requirements, hut is ablo to export to other countries. Statistics during recent years show a decreased consumption of rye bread, and, in fact, of bread as a whole, but rye bread still remains the chief bread food of Germans. Tho consumption of maize in : Germany has steadily receded for a number of years, and tho quantity imported iri 1910—573,120 tons-rwas tho lowest on record.

Indispensable Imports. In his work on Germany, "The. Wolding .of a World Power," ■ published in •ts'ow York, lierr Wolf von bcliiorbraud Buys that "Germany muse do her utmost to preserve her markets, for she, like England, must largely export in order to live. German agriculture does not now -produce, and is not likely to produce in tile future (even under a nl'W and more favourable system of commercial treaties and tit-riffs), enough food tor the nation. , , . It is computed that nearly 60 pel , cent, of the people in Germany arc engaged in industrial or commercial pursuits. The ' overwhelming interests are industrial. About one-third of tho foodstuffs consumed comes from beyond her frontiers, and tho groat bulk of hor imports are indispensables. The United States of America is one of tho largest countries supplying Germany. Tho imports from this .source cunipriso manufactured goods only to the extent of ono-srxlh, tin; remaining fivc-S!;:c)is b-ting cereals, hides, leather, and sucli. like materials. Saventy-five per cent, of German exports comprise, in tim order of their importance, beet sugar, textiles, fabrics, chiimware and toys, foodstuffs,' UicM-etore,' arc of small significance finder this head.

An .unpalatabls Truth'. .•'"Gormauy is now, ,, 'says the writm • tjunieil iibove, "essentially an exporting and importing country, unablo 10 live for even a month without supplies f'roin abroad, just like the time was when Gonnnny was 'sufficient to herself,' when her fields and meadows brought forth enough noiiris'iiinent for ill! her people. That time, however, is past. She now cannot feed all her hungry mouths. She would have to lot dio every third inhabitant of tho Empire wero she to rely wholly on hor own agricultural product. This is a truth which has not yet been sufficiently recognised within her own borders. But, unpalatable as it is to her, it is, unfortunately, a truth."

Germany, in common with other countries of the world, has suffered during recent years from a continual rising of tho price of fresh meat. Imports have steadily increased, and the homo supply has proportionatolv . 4c-

creased. The production of cattlo, even during good years, does not supply the demands of tho Gorman market, and , tlio increase year by year does not keep pace- relatively with tho increase- of population, and fails absolutely. if the individually increasing demand foV moat lis taken into account. On October 10, 1910, a cattle count toolc placo in Bavaria. Compared with tho previous returns in 1907, those for 1910 showed an increase for pigs, which form 50 per cent. of. tho .meat consumed in Germany, of 8.7 per cent., and for goats of 1.6 per cent.; but tlio supply of sheep had recoded by 13.2 per cent. The reduction in young cattlo alone amounted to 17.7, per cent., and in Lower Bavaria even to 21.1 per cent. Such figures show that during recent years Germany has become moro and more dependent upon the younger countries of tho world for her supply of butchers' meat. Tho importation of foreign cattlo liaß been rendered difficult, but not impossible, , by tho veterinary precautions, which are even more prohibitive than' tho high duties levied upon foreign stock. Notwithstanding the restrictions, however, the importation of fresh meat, with the exception of pork, has increased year by year.

Sources of Supply. The agricultural products and foodstuffs imported into Germany in 1911 were valued at 6,541,000,000 marks (about £327,650,000), and in 1912 at 6,560,000,000 marks (about £328,000,000), whilo the exports : were represented by 1,423,000,000 marks (about £71,150,000), and 1,592,000,000 marks (about £79,600,0,00) for tho two years respectively. • The principal' countries from which theso' imports were drawn were Belgium, 'France, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Russia, British India, and the United States. How dependent Germany as a nation Is upon foreign supplies for her industries and for feeding her people may be -realised from the fact that the year of her greatest adyorse trade balance—l9o6 —'46.5 per cent, of-her total imports was for raw and half-finished materials, and 28 per cent, for provisions and food products. • '

In war time, particularly whon Dreadnoughts are required for action, coal isas necessary to a combatant nation as foodstuffs. For many years Germany has been importing large quantities of coal, principally from Great vßritain, where patriotic voices have been raised in protest against the folly of supplying a possible enemy with one of the essentials of war. ■ Coal and coke purchased from Great Britain by Germany in 1911 was worth £4,180,725, in 1910 £4,438,255, and in 1909 £4,595,828 In the years_ immediately preceding 1909 the quantity was still greater.