GERMAN CORN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 80, 29 August 1914, Page 3

GERMAN CORN.

OFFICIAL FEAII OF SHORTAGE. The position of the Gorman corn supply was described by a correspondent of the Economist early in June. "On July I,'' he wrote, "the first official census of com suplies throughout the German Empire is to be taken, as a basis on which to judge the difficult question of food in war time. In recent years the export of German corn has rapidly increased. It has been particularly great dufing the last twelve months, and there is every prospect of a marked shortage within the next few weeks should tiherc be any delay in the harvests. It will be found in all probability tliat on July 1 there is hardly more corn in the country, both hdme and foreign, thin would be consumed in one or two flioiiths at 'the most.

"An important factor in the problem is the great change which has taken place during the last fifteen years or so in the milling industry. Almost all the small mills, formerly scattered over the whole country, liave now been swept away and replaced by large mill : ing concerns, cofic-efitratcd for the most part in the large ports. These few large mills keep nothing like the total supply of grain formerly kept by the multiude of smaller rivals. In addition, their concentration on the coast makes the distribution of supplies over the wlhole country far more difficult during time of war. For the great part the large concerns depend for their supplies on foreign corn, which would cease at once in 'the case of blockade, or, as is possible, even on the outbreak ef war. "The corn trade busies itself now for. the greater part with dealing in fodder and with the export of native corn. Oorn supplies in any quantity are no longer kept, since the small consumers no longer exist. The result is that, between May ami August comes a period Which in the case of war anight prove critical. "There are many suggestion* to remedy the evil. One of those most often urged is that the Government itself sliould collect supplies. A reserve of about one and a-half milion tons, twothirds rye and one-third wheat, with proper arrangements for distribution, would, it is calculated, enable the country to last out over these critical three months. How far those precautions are necessary will be made clear by the coming census, in which home and foreign corn are to lie treated separately. It may be added that the greater pant of Germany's foreign supplies, both of corn and of fodder, is drawn from Russia."