ENGLAND FACES FAMINE IN 1918.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14625, 1 February 1918, Page 2

ENGLAND FACES FAMINE IN 1918.

A WET SUMMER AND A BA3) ■HARVEST Tiie -coming-dearth of food throughout the world in 1918 is dreaded by the junited Powers. The citizens in the poorest classes of the large English towns have been opposed to carrying on 'agricultural labour, and have treated tk« idea with the utmost contempt. The London /press, so harmful to the country's welfare; has through its advertising columns systematically given encouragement in the matter of migration from the land arid .permitted it to assume formidable dimensions. Extensive cultivation of the soil, though favoured by climatic conditions, has of necessity given place universally to the raking of stock. The ' .(cultivation of ! cereals has fallen to a minimum, and 80 per cent of the requirements in the matter of grain must be satisfied by importation from abroad. America, the great wheat-growirg land, was the source from which came England's supplies. The impeding of tho "transport of grain by the submarines has now called for a mighty effort in England |in the proviuce of agriculture. A general enthusiasm has -suddenly arisen for agriculture, and people- who previously, land with proletarian dignity as citizens of the large towns, formerly despised it and regarded the" agricultural worker as only half-man, | have in the past summer in their quest i for bread-stuffs cultivated even the ■poorest ground by the sweat of their brow. The towns have put their parks r and playing areas under cultivation. Great stretches of pasture land 'have been "broken up and zealously sown with corn. It "was hoped thus to nullify the effects of the submarine blockade tiiid ta increase the home production of

gram, However, uiu suuiiuuu «.^ *.-acessively wet. This is grackially becoming fully known, and the press is issuing warnings against undor-esti-mating the danger. To quote from the newspaper "The World"': —"Now already should our coimtry realise that we are faced by the prospect of a poor harvest, and we should form some idea as to what that means,. According to the weather reports we have not had for 23 years so wet an August as the one just past. It is doubtful whether ;it has been found possible to bring in 'the hay or corn since the beginning of the warm weather in July, a few fa-v-Joured places being of course excepted." i And with this are sji-yen calculations regarding the position, which appears •more gloomy than we previously believed:—"ln spite of all our efforts it is improbable that we will ijroduce this year more than three million quarters of wheat for human consumption;, and jlhat is exactly one-tenth of the quantity that' we require. The production of oats and barley has suffered equally with that of wheat oh account of the bad harvest in North America The hope of foreign grain rests with the Argentine.", This great wheat-producing country lies in the southern hemisphere. It has :ts harvest shortly after thelNew. Year, which is just early enough to save England and her innocent, victims (her Allies) from starvation in early ibumer.of 1918. -"This accounts for the jpressure '■■'. exacted by means of the ' stolen Luxburg telegrams, by which | "disclosures" it was hoped to force the 'Argentine into the war. Whatever may !bo tho outcome of this, it will avail the ;English but little. "The World," which has already been quoted/ correctly and soberly states: "That the distresses of a poor harvest can be made 'good according to the news that Germany intends to give free passage to Argentine ships sailing under their own flag and carrying foodstuffs will be -disputed by many. In any case too much importance must not be attributed vto this possible source of supply. ) This brings us, therefore, to the point that we could almost wish-to have another foe ranged against -us. Foi . the free passage of food ship.? from the Argentine could not but strengthen our enemies seriously. However, if Argentine comes into the conflict then this can cease to bo considered, and ,our U-boats will encounter the wh^ai | ships from the South Amerian State with particular satisfaction even if , their cargoes, according to the I World, ' would suffice only in a slight degree to satisfy the serious wants" of England. So it is dear that serious days are ahead for England, whether the war comes to an end on that account or not ,The country that set out to starve us !and<was the first to introduce this most treacherous method of warfare, has brought i nfco its own lan(] -i^;^ distress.