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Show lLl I I LLklb;E American Nation Maintained AI-. AI-. lied Loaf Through Self-Denial Self-Denial at Homo Table. AVERTED EUROPEAN DESPAIR. With Military Demands Upon Qcear, Shipping Relieved, World la Ablo to Return to Normal Whito Wheat Bread. Since the advent of the latest wheal crop the only limitation upon American Ameri-can exports to Lurope has been the shortage of shipping. Between July 1 and October 10 we shipped Go.OSO.nO.'i bushels. If this rate should continue until tli e end of the liseal year we will have furnished the Allies with more than 237,500,000 bushels of wheat and flour in terms of wheat. The result of increased production nnd conservation efforts in the United States has been that with the cessation cessa-tion of hostilities we are able to return re-turn to a normal w heat diet. Supplies that have accumulated in Australia. Argentine nnd other hitherto inacces sible markets may he tapped by ships released from transport service, and Luropean demand for American wdieai probably will not exceed our normal surplus. There is wheat enough avail- able to have a white loaf at the com inon table. But last year the tale was different Only by the greatest possible saving nnd sacrifice were we able to keep n steady stream of wheat and flour mov-ing mov-ing across the sea. We found our selves at the beginning of the harvest year with an unusually short crop. Kvcn the most optimistic statisticians figured that we had a bare surplus of 20,000.0(10 bushels. And yet Europe was facing the probability of a bread famine and In Europe bread is by far the most Important article in the diet. All of this surplus had left the country early In the fall. By the first of the year we had managed to ship n little more than 50,000,000 bushels by practicing the utmost economy at liome by wheatless days, wheatless meals, heavy substitution of other cereals and by sacrifice at nlmosi every meal throughout the country. In January the hue Ixird Rhondda, then British Food Controller, cabled that only if we sent an additional 75,-000,000 75,-000,000 bushels before July 1 could he take the responsibility of assuring his people that they would be fed. The response of the American pro pie was S5.000.000 bushels safely delivered deliv-ered overseas between January 1 and July 1. Out of a harvest which gave us only 20,000,000 bushels surplus we actually shipped 1-11,000.000 bushels. Thus did America fulfill her pledge that the Allied bread rations could lie maintained, and already the American people are demonstrating that, with an awakened war conscience, last year's figures will be bettered. |