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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1917)
lj1 IJTl t f The Commoner VOL. 173&. 11 ff'T-fwvfgr" J w V ki World Food Situation A Washington dispatch, dated Oct. 26, says: In a statement tonight reviewing the world food situation Food Administrator Hoover said tho fight against the submarine would be won if the United States and Canada could stimulate pro duction and effect economies so as to feed the allies from this continent without sending a ship farther afield than the American Atlantic sea board. Ships, wheat and hogs are the great needs em phasized by Hoover. He said deepest concern had been caused by tho fact that in spite of high prices this country's pork consumption had in creased during the war until production had been outstripped, a situation that must be changed. "If wo discontinue exports," Mr. Hoover added, "wo will movo the German line from France to the Atlantic seaboard. Pork products have an influence in this present world situation wider than one would ordinarily attribute to them. Tho human body must have a certain amount of fat; we must increase production of hogs if wo are to answer the world's craving. "Every pound of fat is as sure of service as a bullet, and every hog is of greater value to tho winning of this war than a shell." As to wheat the administrator said the allies' deficiency of production is 196,000,000 bushels, with imports of 577,700,000 bushels required to maintain normal consumption. He estimated the aggregate American, Canadian, Australian, In dian and Argentine export surplus at 770,000,000 bushels, but pointed out. that ladk of shipping made it necessary for this country and Canada to bear the burden of meeting the allies' deficit. "The problem is thus simply one of ships," h'e said. "If ample shipping existed there would be no need for saving or increased production of wheat on the part of the American people. But if' we can produce economies and stimulate pro duction in the United States and Canada as will enable us to feed the allies absolutely from this continent and thus enable them to live without sending a ship farther afield than our Atlantic pnp.board, we can resist the submarine indefin itely." Placing the United States wheat export sur plus from this year's crop at 80,000,000 bush els and Canada's at 150,000,000 bushels, Mr. Hoover urged domestic economies to Increase this country's surplus to 150,000,000 bushels. "This wo could do," he said, "if our people would eat one pound less of wheat flour per week and one pound of corn meal instead." .. If peace should come, Mr. Hoover continued, largo numbers of ships would be released and European wheat production increased. If cli matic conditions next year are right, . he esti mated a wheat crop in this country of one billion bushels. For this the food control law guaran tees a minimum price of $2 per bushei. ,"If war continues this wheat will be vitaiiy necessary," Mr. Hoover said, "but if the war should come to an end there will be no foreign market for t.t least 400,000,000 bushels. The government must then take over the wheat and probably find a market for it at a very great -loss. I should anticipate that the government may lose from $300,000,000 to $500,000,000 on this wheat guaranty if peace arrives before the 1918 harvest is marketed." Mr. Hoover expressed the opinion that tho fixed guarantee was unnecessary and that a rea sonable profit guaranteed to the farmer would have been sufficient to sitmulate production. "However, the guaranty has been fixed," he added. "It is an insurance against the submarine and an estimate of what it may cost we must leave to the future." Turning to the meat situation the administra tor said pork products were more vitally needed by the allies than beef. "In the matter of beef," he said, "the allies can support themselves without any consequen tial expansion of imports from the United States." In view of the European situation and the .American shortage in hogs, he pointed out that there would be a high average price for pork products and therefore it would be to the vital advantage of every farmer to raise "hogs, add- "We need a keep-a-pig movement in this country." By preventing undue increases in forage prices, Mr. Hoover promised that the food ad- l SECOND LD3ERTY LOAN A GREAT SUCCESS 0 A Washington dispatch, dated Nor. 8, says: Tho American people again havo given a war loan of many millions more than was asked. Secretary McAdoo announced that total subscriptions to the second Liberty loan were $4,617,532,300, a 54 per cent over- subscription of the three billion dollars sought. Half of the over-subscription will be accepted, making an actual lssuo of $3,808,766,150. There were 9,400,- 000 subscriber, ninety-nine per cent of whom applied for bonds of $50,000 or less, and will receive their subscriptions in full. w ministration would co-operate in measures to stimulate live stock production. He also said further production of sheep, both for meat and particularly for wool, extensively used in uni forms, is needed. "Our American farmers," he added, "would be wise to realize that for a considerable period after the war there will be a very poor export market for American bread grains, whereas there will be a wide demand for animal products." K. OP O. DENIES ANY DISPUTE The following appeared in the Washington Post, under date of October 9: "A report given nation-wide circulation to the effect that a controversy exists between the Knights of Columbus and the Masonic fraternity regarding work at the army camps is emphatic ally denied by Col. P. H. Callahan, chairman of the Knights of Columbus committee on war ac tivities. " 'It is a mistake,' said Col. Callahan yester day. 'The Knights of Columbus are working in the army camps not as a lodge, but as the rep resentatives of the Catholic people of this coun try. We do not oppose the entrance of the Masons or any other fraternal society into the camps, and we shall be glad to extend to them any courtesies or assistance within our power " AN APPRECIATION Liberty Loan Committee, Buffalo, N.-Y. Hon. William Jennings Bryan, Lincoln, Neb. Mv dear Mr. Bryan: Permit me to express to you my personal thanks for your kindness in addressing our meeting during the Liberty Loan campaign, and for the great assistance you thereby gave us. The success of the campaign in Buffalo came only because of the splendid loyalty and co-operation on the part of everyone who was asked to help. v I want you to know how deeply grateful we are for your assistance. Very sincerely yours, WALTER. P. COOKE, Chairman. NO: AMERICANS LOST IN TRANSIT In a recent statement issued to correspondents at American army headquarters in France, General Pershing said: "Troops and supplies are arriving in increas ing numbers." Thanks to the French, British and American navies, he continued, the submarine to date had not claimed tho life of a single American sol dier on the troop ships bound for France. The French officers, he said, were enthusiastic over the character, intelligence and eagerness of the young officers who are arriving in France to continue their instruction, and the American army is proud of them. DRAFT CLASSIFICATIONS 'A Washington dispatch, dated Oct. 22, says The five classifications into which men awaiting draft will be divided under the new regulations approved by President Wilson, have become pub lic much before the time planned by the provost marshal general's office and are hero published It was discovered today that what was to have remained an official secret for a week or more -was divulged Saturday night at a dinner in New York which Secretary Baker and Provost Mar shal General Crowder attended. The provost marshal general discussed tho new regulations without intending to make pub lic the classifications, but some members of the New York local exemption board, thinking to elucidate the general's speech, printed the Class ifications on the back of thje menu card. The classifications are as follows and show every man registered to which class he belongs and in what order the different classifications will bo called to service. CLASS I. 1. Single man without dependent relatives. 2. Married man (or widower with children) who habitually fails to support his family. 3. Mar ried man dependent on wife for support. 4. Married man (or widower with children) not usefully engaged,, family supported by income independent of his labor. 5. Men not included in any other description in this or other classes. 6. Unskilled laborer. CLASS II. 1. Married man or father of motherlesschild ren, usefully engaged but family has sufficient income apart from his daily labor to afford rea sonably adequate support during his absence. 2. Married man no children wife can support herself decently and without hardship. 3. Skilled industrial laborer engaged in necessary industrial enterprise. 4. Skilled farm laborer engaged in. necessary agricultural enterprise. CLASS III. 1. Men with foster children dependent on daily labor for support. Man w.th aged, infirm, or invalid parents or grandparents dependent on daily labor for support. 3. Man with brothers or sisters incompetent to support themselves, de pendent on daily labor for support. 4. County or municipal officer. 5. Firemen or policemen. 6. Necessary artificers or workmen in arsenals, armories and navy yards. 7. Necessary custom house clerk. 8. Persons necessary in transmis sion of mails. 9. Necessary employees in service .of United States. 10. Highly specialized admin istrative experts. 11. Technical or mechanical experts in industrial enterprise. 12. Highly specialized agricultural expert in argricultural . bureau of state or nation. .13. Assistant or asso ciate manager of necessary industrial enterprise. 14. Assistant or associate manager of necessary agricultural enterprise. CLASS IV. 1. Married man with w'fe (and) or children (or widower with children) dependent on daily labor for support and ho other reasonably ade quate support available. 2. Mariners in sea ser vice of merchants or citizens in United States. 3. Heads of necessary industrial enterprises. 4. .Heads of necessary agricultural enterprises. CLASS V. - 1. Officers of states or the UniteO" States. 2. regularly or duly ordained ministers. 3. Stu dents of divinity. 4. Persons in -military or naval service. 5. Aliens. . 6. Al'en enemies. 7. persons morally unfit. 8. Persons physically, permanently or mentally unfit. 9. Licensed pilots. ' CELEBRATES DRY VICTORY A Washington dispatch, dated Nov. 11, says: Secretary Daniels and Former Secretary Bryan were speakers at a mass meeting held here to day to celebrate the addition of the District of Columbia to the "dry" column. "There is more of the grape juice odor here than ever before' Mr. Bryan said, "and I am enjoying the aroma considerable." Some of the war commentators find pleasure in pointing out that when the Germans were pushing back the Italians the kaiser's message to his people mentioned that "me und Gott were to be thanked, 'while In announcing the retreat along the Chemin du Dame it was "Gott und me." And yet the kaiser was -acting just like most human beings do in times of prosper ity and in times of adversity. The fuel administrator has notified the coal dealers that criminal prosecutions will follow any wilful violation of the order fixing a form ula for the computation of the price to the cor sumer, and has Instructed state, admin's .rata that they will be expected to pick the b g H lows first. . , ) .