HOW WILL EUROPE BE FED?

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2266, 28 September 1914, Page 7

HOW WILL EUROPE BE FED?

CHICAGO GRAIN ESTIMATE "' ' GERMANY'S PROBLEM (Now York "Evening Post.") Chicago, August 19—With yesterwheat. market rising violently • again, on belief that the export trade will soon be fully open and that the shipments will be*finance<], the question is coming up for close consideration, how much or oiir grain tho belligerent States will have to take. Tho total import requirements of wheat in ordinary times, of England, France, Germany, and Italy combined, are more than 500,000,000 bushels. If it were possiblo, the trado believes that . they would. take fully half of this amount from tho United States. • _ On all occasions, the United Kingdom is tho best customer for our wheat. Its import requirements on a peace basis are estimated at 220,000,000 bushels annually, ' and'.;it would not be surprising to see England take 100,000,000 bushels or .more from tho United States this .season.- Tho supply from here and Canada is more available .than that from any other country. French, requirements are estimated at ■ 50,000,000 bushels, Belgium's at 65,000,000 bushels, and a good part of each will have to come from the United States. If possible, France will take some Australian wheat, as it likes that product bettor' than the American, judging'from its large purchases in the past few years. Tho French crop itself is short this year, and considerable of it will, be wasted. Italy will have to import about 75,000,000 bushels; its crop is short. 2,3,000>000 bushels, as shown ..by .the last returns. ■ .. Ggrniany is the puzzle. In times of . peace/it is expected to import from all wheat-producing countries 40,000,000 busliols, and of this more than half.will ■ usually come from the United States. Its largest imports from all countries wore'hi-'IfJUG, when they reached 92,000,000 bushels. In the same year it took 44,000,000 bushels of foreign corn, 63,- ' 000.000 bushels of oats, and 85,000,000 of bailey. But how is' Germany to get the wheat, with the North Sea and the Mediterranean patrolled by hostile, fleets?"' Tho Kaiser has talked of 'a year s supply .of foods! uifs already hi hand or avail-, able at harvest tuue, aim even in-gram market circles imports have; lately been going tho t'ounus. that it has 'nine to tivelvo months 1 ' stocks of. wheat' and other foddstuiis. Bin this is hot believed atoll by the grain trade in this country, if so, why did Germany buy more tnan its usual quantity of wheat Irom the United States eariy this season, -and Why was she so anxious to get it delivered before the war began? As a matter of fact, the. heavy Ger- • man purchases, mado here in July, did ■not'roach the Gorman ports. ' Most, of it has been already diverted to the ports of England. Aside from the United States, Germany draws its supplies of foodstuffs chietly from the Argontine 'and Russia, from both, of which markets it has been cut off since the opening week of August. Russia, in fact, is the regular source of Germany's supply for a large part of its.oats and barloy. What, then, will happen' in the' German. Empire itself,' if the n r ar and the virtual blockade' of the German' coast should be long continued' What may be going in by way of Rotterdam,' from which the communications to Germany seom still to be open, no one can" surely'say. This is one desperate.stake which the German armies havo, in holding' their position in Belgium, thereby keeping open tho access from Holland to • Germany. ~