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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1918-4-4, Page 4wL k f F "The food wanted by man- kind does nol exist. The word 'shortage' is not strong enough. The whole world is up against a nasty thing, familiar to the people of India, called 'famine.''' —Lord Rhondda, Britain's Food Controller. One year ago, only the enemy was on rations. To -day, Great Britain, France and Italy, are on rations. To -day, Germany controls the wheat lands of Roumania, Russia, Poland and Ukrania. To -day, the shadows of hunger, famine, disease and death hang over the Allies. Upon the 19 J con from �k-Iir 1 the United (.1 rates depends the tate of the nocratie peoples of the world. If that crop is sufficient the Allies can be fed. If that crop is not sufficient the Allies may have to accept a German peace. That Battle -Line in France and Flanders Must Not Want Do you realize what a German Peace would mean to Canada ? Germany covets our natural resources —our agricultural and mineral wealth, our forests, our fisheries, everything that is Canada's. Germany won't be satisfied with Euro- pean territory, with teeming masses, wrang- ling factions and depleted natural resources. She wants colonies—lig, thinly -populated countries in temperate zones for her sons and daughters to go to propagate their kind. The Kaiser would sacrifice millions of Ger- mans to -morrow if he thought that by so doing he could set foot on Canada's shores as Con- queror. And what's more, the Germans would offer themselves for the sacrifice, so great is their sub- jection to the military ideal. The only thing that balks German ambition is that battle line from the North Sea to Switzer- land—and the British Navy. The Only Thing That Sustains Our Men on Land and Sea --Is Food What are we, each one of us, prepared to do to insure that Food supply? Germany, by her submarine campaign, has seen that great Armada, the British Mercantile Marine, shrink in volume. Germany has seen South America, Austra- lia, New Zealand, India and far away outposts of the Empire practically cut off from supplying food to the Motherland because of the lack of ships. Forty million Allied men and women having been put on war work, food production has dan- gerously decreased in Europe. These forty million consume more food than when they were in ordinary occupations, and there are fewer men for farming, Hence an in- creased demand and decreased supplies. The harvest of France was one-third less in 1917 than 1916, and this year must be smaller still, owing to lack of fertilizers, which cannot be supplied through shortage of shipping. od The world's decrease in live stock, as com- pared to 1913, is approximately 1 15,000,000 head. Herbert Deaver Says: "Our European Allies are dependent upon us for greater quantities of food than we have ever before exported. They are the first line of our defence. Our money, our ships, our life blood, and not least of all, OUR FOOD supply, must be of a common stock. "In pre-war times, Britain, France, Italy and Belgium yearly imported more than 750,000,- 000 bushels of grain, plus vast quantities of meats and fats. "The submarine destruction of shipping has made it necessary to abandon the hope of bring- ing food from South America, Aust:aiasza and India. :w. , ..Food ... .nu• rYnust..,� therefore, be shipped from Cane -la- the United States—the nearest and ,,, . safest route. "Canadian and United States supplies are normally 350,000,000 bushels short of the Al- lied needs. By greater production and conserva- tion Canada and the United States must combine to increase the ex- port of grain by 150,000,000 bushels. "The remain- ing shortage of 200,000,000 bushels must be overcome by greater reduction i n consumption in the allied coun- tries. And this is being done by Britain, Fran ce and Italy ration- ing their, people. "From t w o and a half years of contact with the German Army I have come out of the horror with . the complete convic- tion that autocracy is a political faith_and a sys- tem that directly endangers and jeopardizes the future of our race—that threatens our very in- dependence.' It has, however, been able to com- mand a complete inspiration of devotion and self-sacrifice in its people to the interest of their nation. The German farmer, in the name of the Fatherland, supports a nation two-thirds as large._. as the United States and threatens to subject the world from an area one-half the size of Ontario. "My vision of war is not of an academic problem to be solved by discussion. To me it is a vision of brave, dying men and suffering wo- men and children, for service on whose behalf the greater exertion of the Allies' farmers comes as a direct necessity and a direct plea. The Can- adian and the United States citizen who sees war as 1 see it, needs no inducement and no inspira- tion but the thought that every spade full of earth turned, and every animal reared is lessen- ing human suffering and guaranteeing the lib- erty of the world." en is mighty pride, a conscious measuring of their glory with the best traditions of ancient Sparta, and of Imperial Rome, for Britons know that upon them rests the burden of saving humanity. The story of their service shall ring and echo for-, ever along the hill tops of history. To Send More Food. to Our Allies is Not Charity It is war. The Allies have a right to demanc. it. They have a right to resent the offer of only what is "left over." Those who are fighting the common battle for civilization and for our pro- tection have a higher claim than had Lazarus, to only the "crumbs Thai; tall from the rich man's table." The Canadian people must recognize that • auir' Allies have the first claim on our food supplies. As the shipping situation snakes the Allies dependent upon the North American continent for food, it is vitally necessary that Canada should increase her production of food in order to take a larger part in providing for the Allies' requirements. This is especially urgent as the maintenance of a large United States army in the European field will cause a very heavy drain on that country's food resources. There must be no peace without victory. For nearly four years Ger- many has been struggling against the pow- ers of law and or- der. She has fail- ed so far to make good her escape with her booty by superior strength and skill. A n d now s h e is at- tempting by in- trigue, sugges- tion, device and propaganda to di- vert the attention of her antagon- ists from the struggle itself, and thus to gain her ends by re- laxing the strength and skill of her antagonists. What she can gain from these tactics is plain to all the world in the sorrowful experience of Russia. Germany's most dangerous weapon is not her Zeppelin—that is obsolete. Not her subma- rine—that can be overcome. Not her machine- like army—that has been repeatedly hurled back by the living armies of freemen. Her most dangerous weapon is her propaganda of peace. While with her hands she murders and de- spoils, with her voice she invites to parleys, The Heart of This Pro e is yaour Without More Farm Labour More Food Cannot be Produced if you really want to serve your Country in a big practical way, register now for farm labour, or urge or assist your male employees to do so. lLloyd George's Warning "I fear the disciplined people behind the Ger man Arany, the rationed family and the deter urination of wife and sister and daughter and mother to stand and' starve --so that their fight- ing men may be fed—I fear it more than the Im- perial German Army itself." Britain is now on Food Rations. France is now on Food Rations. Italy is on the verge of starvation. Only con- tinuous support from us can enable us to hold out. Only with a disciplined people behind can we hope to win. The rationed British Nation, blood of our blood, bone of our bone, are proud- ly paying the price and sharing with France and Italy their limited stock of food. For in this there When Liberty is in Peril There is Threat of Lasting Disaster in the Very Word "Peace" Lord Leverhulme, long known in Canada as Sir William Lever, who knows well the German mind, in a recent interview stated: "You will never be able to dictate terms to Germany hi eine is beaten. The argument you mention is founded on the dangerous fallacy that because Germany is sick of this war she is sick of war in general. She isn't. I doubt if her Government is even sick of this war. You've read the speech of that old brigand, Herding. Is there any sign of repentance in that speech? Is it a chastened speech's Is it the speech of a statesman who wants disarmament and a league of nations? No! Germany is back in her mood of 1914. She believes she is winning the war. She believes she has won now. And if we tails of peace she HAS won it. Why, it would be bet- ter a thousand times that every man in England should be deal than that Germany should issue from this wax with the feeling of a conqueror. You hear people use the phrase, 'to the last man, and the last shilling,' and you think it is only a bit of rhetoric, but to my mind it's the most solemn and absolute truth. I mean when 1 say it that it would in very truth be a million times better for the people of these islands to be dead, every one of them, rather than live on as the serfs of a triumphant Prussia." How can any lover of liberty remain insen- s le to this,peril? rpod means Victory and the world made safe for a ..iemocracy— 1 acj; 0pod means disaster and subjugation to Germany. The Citizens orOntario Must Lead This M l3,17r Crusade Greaterfor Greater l�'oo� P od��ction They did it last year and v'ill do it again. As the greatest food Ontario Province, Ontario must maintain her learVollip in Ameri- ca . Great are our opportunities our responsi- bility is tremendous. Upon every man and woman; heyand girl, rests a personal obligation to serve. Every pound of food produced, in whatever form, is a contribution to the Cause of Freedom. Ontario farmers should sow 500,00 acres of spring wheat. Every Ontario farmer whose land is't. all suitable should put an extra five acres r1'nto wheat, even at the expense of another crop. ', What YOU Can Do to Help At all costs production must be maintained. That's why farmers and farmers' sons are being exempted from military service. Working on a farm is equivalent to service in the Second Line Trenches. To enable the farmer to do the work two fac- tors are essential. The first is Time. Whatever we are to do must be done at once. Nature waits for no man. The second is Labor. Many farmers cannot plant the acres they ivould because they cannot get the necessary help. (Many are afraid to increase their acreage bec:.use they fear they would not be able to cultivate and harvest an un- usual crop after they haJ ruia:' l it. The burden is not one to he placed solely upon the farmer. Neither con it be placed upon the townsman. It is a personal obligation upon every man, woman, boy aril girl, in every farm, town and city home in the Province of Ontario. AWAY WITH CRITICISM—CO-OPER- ATE! Mr. City man, don't stay that the farmer should do so-and-so, and thus allow criticism in this hour of our Nation's peril to cripple your effort. Mr. Farmer, don't hastily under -estimate the value the city man can be to you. Get Together her in the Fight For Liberty Let us not lament what MIGHT be, but earnestly face what MUST be. Fifteen thousand boys between the ages of fifteen and nineteen must be organized as "Sol- diers of the Soil" to work on Ontario farms this season. Farmers can get one or more of these boys by applying to their District Representatives or to the Public Employment Bureaux at Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton or London. Unmarried men, exempted from military service, are urged to take up farm work. Mar- ried men who have had previous experience on a farm are urged to resume farm work for a sea- son. Employers of labor are asked to assist men to take up farm work. We urge the farmers and the townsmen to get together for greater production in the inter- ests of a free people and democracy. Let the Organization of Resources Commit- tee, your District Repiesentatives or the Public Employment I3urcaux act as your intermedi- aries. When we have done our best, the cry for food cannot be wholly met. For the rest—our Allies are tightening their belts. OrF;alliZati011 of Resources Committee Parliament Buildings, Toronto Ontario. CHAIRMAN: His Honor Sir John S. llendrie, IC.C.M,G., C.V.O., Lieaitenant.;lovemor of Ontario. VICE-CHAIR- MEN; Honorable Sir William VI. Hearst, K.C.M.G., Prime Minister of Ontario; William Proudfoot, Esq., K.C., Lender of Ow Opposition. SECIZE'1'ARY : Albert H. Abbott, Esq., Ph.D. The only thing that balks German ahition is the krtattle line in France and--- the British Navy. The only thing that sustains our men on land and sea is Fo s� d.