The Dominion TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1917. THE WORLD FOOD SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 66, 11 December 1917, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1917. THE WORLD FOOD SHORTAGE

Britain's position in the matter of food supplies is again causing concern, not because' of any immediate fear of a serious shortage there, but because of the prospect of a world shortage of food, which threatens privation to many nations and starvation to some. The world's food outlook grows blacker, and this in spite of the efforts of tho nations most deeply affected to increase tho production of foodstuffs. Britain's position is stated to be much letter than that of the Central Powers, and better • also 'than that of France, but in spite of this tho British Food Controller and the Director of Food Economy continue their appeals to the people for further economies in food consumption, while the President of the Board of Agriculture and the officials of his Department strive with all their power to stimulato the efforts of the producers. The sources of food supply throughout the world have been crippled and reduced by tho war, while the consumption and waste of food have increased. Tho losses of food supplies by tho sinking of mercantile shipping have been great, but they are small when compared with tho wastage caused by the devastation of the war on land. Vast tracts of food-growing country have been laid wasto and tho tillers of the soil scattered. Famine stalks in Serbia, in Rumania, in Finland, and over a great part of Russia, with no immediate prospect of any material improvement. In spito of the tremendous efforts put forth_ in Britain, the increased _ production of food supplies from within, affected in a measure by inferior harvest yields, still falls far short of requirements, and in France tho position, as the result of bad weather at a critical time, is rather worse. To add to tho difficulties of the situation the strikes and riots in the Argentine are likely to affect meat supplies for tho Allies from overseas. The trouble in tho Ar-

gentino looks suspiciously like another German-inspired effort aimed at the Entente Powers but in its genoral effect indirectly affecting the greater part of the whole world. Tho i latest available information concerning tho position of Britain fully bears out Mr. Lloyd George's recent announcement that the utmost efforts of the Germans could not starve the people of the Old Country. Apart from the increaso in the home-grown supplies, the overseas trade figures for the eight ■months of the current year to the end of August show that the value of the gram and flour imports into Britain totalled £131,343,239, as against £76,213,068 in tho corresponding period of 1916. In practically all other classes of food supplies, with the exception of tea, there were substantial increases in the imports, and the quantity of food stocks in store was larger than ever before. But, the real danger ahead, not only for Britain, but tho whole of the European nations, neutral and belligerent alike, is the actual world shortage of food. All those nations which rely on outside sources of food supply to any material extent, and especially those nations crippled in their usual activities by tlio.war, are faced with a prospective food deficiency of more or less serious dimensions. Mr. Sidney writing in the Contemporary Review on what has been described as the great problem ahead, states the position very emphatically :

At the close of the war, he remarks, what tho various Governments will be faced with will not be opportunities of enriching themselves at the cost of their enemies, but the imminent dangor of famine, in one country or another, with a calamitous deficiency of some of the priucipal foodstuffs, such aa cereals and meat, threatening quite possibly extensive local starvation; with huge deficiencies in most countries in such materials as the metallic ores, coal, timber, hides, oil, wool, rubber, potash, etc, without which civil employment of the demobilised millions cannot be resumed. ... In some parts of Europo and Asia it is scarcely too much to say society may be not far from dissolution through sheer want.

That this view is widely held in responsible circles is clear beyond all doubt. That it contains a lesson for the people of this Dominion which should be seriously taken to heart is equally clear. As a foodproducing country, we should bo stimulated to do our utmost to increase our surplus of food supplies and raw material available for export. That goes without saying. But it should also servo to hearten and encourage the more timid and cautious in our midst who are inclined to regard with misgivings the heavy burdens the country is incurring in connection with the war, and who have doubts concerning future financial calls whioh it may be necessary to mako to enable us to play our full and honourable part in tho struggle. At the half-yearly meeting of the proprietors of the Bank of New Zealand on Friday ilast tho Chairman of Directors, in his interesting and exhaustive survey of the situation, remarked that: "So far, thanks to the high prices paid for our produce, we have been able to bear these financial burdens and will probably continue able to boar them, provided that_ reasonably good prices are maintained and that shipping facilities are afforded to exporters and to the Government, which has commandeered such a large proportion of our products." With tho food shortage which is threatening the world, the possibility of any material reduction of prices seems remote indeed, while the prospects for shipping would seem to be improved for the immediate future by the conditions prevailing in tho Argentine; and, looking further ahead, tho outlook in this respect holds promise of material improvement as tho rcsult of the enormously increased production of now shipping in Britain and America. ,