THE NENANA NEWS
Application ma de October 30, 1916,'at the Postoffice at Nenana, Alaska, tor
entry as second-class mail matter under the act of March 2, 1879, by The Ne
nana Printing Company.
Published Weekly by The Nenana Printing Company
Day ok Publication Saturday Edited by R. G. Southworth.
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Nenana, Alaska, April 14,1917
One of the outstanding features
of the press dispatches of the week
is the report of the proposed es
tablishment of a Food Commission
by the government to regulate the
production, consumption and cost
of the food products of the nation.
This Commission will have come
into existence thru the exigencies
of war, for without it the problems
of organization nncessary to the
feeding of an army would speedily
result in chaos.
I
But the point to be emphasized,1
and one which should not be lost j
sight of, is the taking of the con-:
trol of the food supply of our nation
out of the hands of those vultures
that prey on the people, the com
mission men. For years they have
dictated to the producer as to how
much of his commodity he shall
produce each year, stifling any at
tempts at expansion, and have paid
him for his crops a price which
in most instances barely pays the
cost of production. And so auto
cratic has been their control no
producer has been able to market
a pound of his commodity indepen
dently, even at a figure far below
the going price on the market.
With his finger on the pulse of
the nation the commission man
has been in a position to know the
quantity of food consumed by the
nation each year. And altho the
production of the nation’s resources
be doubled or tripled, the excess
could not be disposed of so long as
the commission man and the broker
are permitted to retain control of
the marketing. With the entrance
of the United States into the war
these same commission men and
brokers have no doubt been mar
shaling their forces for the biggest
“cleaning” in their experience, and
the establishing of the Food Com
mission will no doubt be met with
serious opposition, which if traced
to its source will be found to have
emanated from these same men.
For they know full well that the
people, after awakening to the fact ]
that they can buy food, and plenty
of it, at a price well within the
reach of the most modest income,
will not countenance the return of
conditions as they have existed,
should the Food Commission be
abolished at the termination of the
war. And the producer will be
equally reluctant to see the control
of his crops put back into the
hands of men whom he knows
from experience will not allow him
a legitimate profit for his labor,
after he has once experienced the
benefits of direct marketing.
The solution of the high cost of
living is not increased production.
The population of the United States
could be doubled and the land
under cultivation at present would
supply sufficient foodstuffs, and at
a price less than prevailed before
the recent advances. The real
solution is the abolishing of the
middleman, the man who pays the
farmer whatever he cares to for
his crops, and sells them to the
consumer at as high a figure as he
thinks he will stand for. And as
the consumer has been so greatly
occupied with the problem of
gaining the means to buy food that
he enters no protest whenever an
increase in food prices is announc
ed, the commission man has be
come more and more bold until
his avariciousness has run away
with his better judgement, and will
result in his downfall.
One phase of that Zimmerman
note to Mexico and Japan which
has only recently reached the at
tention of the public was the prom
ise to Japan of all the territory of
the United States west of the Rocky
mountains as her reward for an
alliance with Germany in making
war on the United States. Is it
any wonder that the Central Pow
ers have been able to carry on a
campaign of aggression of such un
precedented magnitude and dura
tion, when they are possessed of
such a preponderance of self-con
fidence? And is it any wonder
that Carranza is being tempted by
the alluring bait which is being
held out to him?
Ayer’s team of fox hounds won the
Nome-Solomon derby on March 10, cov
ering the 65-mile course in 5 hours and
57 minutes. The race was run in snowy
weather, with the trail none too fast.
Seppala, with his Siberian wolf hounds,
was second, this lone range team having
failed to get warmed up in time to catch
the lighter dogs. Webb came in third.
The Marshall camp is considerably ex
cited as the result of a series of robberies
that have taken place there recently. A1
Hall, the tinsmith, was the latest victim,
the robbers taking $350. A peculiar feat
ure of the affair is the fact that the rob
bers are said to be known, but owing to
the loss of tirne and money involved in
a trip to Nome to prosecute the cases, no
action has been taken.
DAILY PROGRESS OF THE WORLD WAR
MONDAY
Sail Francisco: Former German Con
sul Bopp and two of liis aides have been
interned on Ansel Island.
Paris; The steamship Seward, former
ly in the Alaska service, was torpedoed
in the Mediterranean yesterday. The
entire crew was landed safelv at Vigo.
Washington: The government has
completed all arrangements for the tak
ing over of all the commercial wireless
svstems in the United States and its
possessions.
Washington: Advices from Berne re
ceived at the state department this morn
ing state that Ambassador Penfield was
handed his passports bv the Austrian
government yesterday afternoon.
Petrograd: Minister of Justice Keren
skv announced last nite that if Germany
will dethrone the kaiser it may make It
possible to open preliminary overtures
for the establishment of a world peace.
Vigo, Italy: The Brazilian ambassador
in this port cabled his government that
the German U-boat which sank the
American steamer Seward yesterday made
three attempts to sink a Brazilian ship
which entered this port at the same time
as the American boat.
New York: Secret service agents have
d:scover«d and dismantled a very power
ful wireless receiving set in the Fifth
avenue residence of Mrs. Hugo Reising,
daughter of the late Adolph Bu«ch. in
this city. The fact has been established
that the set was used bv Count von Bern
storff for receiving offiicial instructions
direct from Berlin.
Chicago: Five hundred and fourteen
marriage licenses were issued in this city
yesterday, the greatest number issued in
one dav in the history of the city. Offic
ials declare that the marriages in most
part were prompted by the statement of
government officials that married men
i are exempt from compulsory military
; service. The maiority of those securing
! licenses were of Teutonic birth.
i
Juneau: In a statement heading the
editorial column of his paper today, John
W. Troy announces that he "has never
been and is not now a candidate tor anv
appointive or elective office in the terri
: tory, and would not accept the governor
ship unless it is handed to him on a silver
! platter, which he considers improbable,
j His sole ambition is to make Ins paper a
j great success.' ’
El Paso: Advices received from the
! south state that fourteen thousand Car
i ranza followers are moving north from
! Chihuahua toward the United States
j border. Mexican officials here state that
i the movement is to prevent raids along
| the border, but the American military
I officials here are not satisfied with the
: explanation and are taking every precau
| tion to provide adequate protection along
the entire border.
St. Louis: In a speech delivered be
fore the food conference recentlv called
by Secretary Houston to consider the
food situation in this country, Presi
dent Waters of the Kansas State Agricul
tural college made the statement that
this country is entering the war with no
food supply reserve, and that in the
event of a crop failure this season food
prices would go higher than at any time
in the nation's history.
Washington: The government of Aus
tria this morning severed diplomatic re
lations with the United States when
Ambassador Zwiendinek of the Austrian
embassy called at the state department
headquarters and asked for his passports.
It is thot in official circles that German
influence in the Austrian capital is re
sponsible for the break. Turkey and
r
Wm. M. Smith
ATTORNEY AT LAW
NOTARY PUBLIC
OFFICES IN NEW YORK BLOCK
Bulgaria are expected tosever diplomatic
relations with the United States before
many hours have elapsed.
TUESDAY
San Francisco: Advices from Sydney
state that Shackleton has arrived in that
city from the Antarctic, and will emluirk
immediately lor his naval post for duty.
Washington: It is stated here that
this government will withhold coal ship
ments to Argentine unless that govern
ment removes her embargo on meat to
the Allies.
Seattle: A man who was arrested in
this city yesterday for calling the flag a
“dirty rag” was this morning fined one
thousand dollars and sentenced to thirty
months in jail.
Springfield, 111.: A very severe earth
quake was felt lliruout central fllinois
and northeastern Missouri last nite, of a
violence sufficient to disrupt telephone
and telegraph trunk lines.
Rio de Janicro: Brazil declared war
on Germany late yesterday afternocn,
immediately following the establishment
of the facts of the sinking of the Brazilian
steamer Parana by a German submarine.
New York: The St. Louis, the first of
the armed American merchantmen to
make the round trip to England, arrived
in this harbor last nite. Her gun crew
of twenty men were ou duty continuous
ly thruout the trip.
Cadillac, Mich.: Ad Wolgast, former
world’s champion lightweight pugilist,
was adjudged insane this morning. Phy
sicians claim that the terrific amount of
punishment he has taken on the head
during his ring career has bruised the
brain.
Washington: The senate this morning
passed without discussion a bill providing
for the punishment of conspirators at
tempting to destroy war material, bridges
docks and railroads, and provides a fine
ot ten thousand dollars and imprisonment
for thirty years. ^
Chicago; Over one thousand marriage
licenses were issued in this city yester
day, and it became necessary to close
the license bureau to prevent rioting be
tween those who desired to take out
licenses and others who hissed them as
slackers and cowards.
Philadelphia; The Eddystone auiniu1
nition plant near Chester was blown up
at ten o’clock this morning. Three dis
tinct explosions were noted, and the re
sulting fire threatens the storage sheds
m which are stored large supplies of
shells reaily for shipment to the Allies.
Latest reports state that over three hun
dred persons are known to be dead and
many others are missing, and that most
of the known dead are women and girls,
employes In the factory.
London; Official advices received from
British headquarters m France state that
more than nine thousand Germans and
forty machine guns were captured yester
day by the British and Canadian forces
along the front from Arras to Lens. Fort
| ified towns and important railroad points
which have been held by the Teutonic
forces since their first drive into France
are now threatened with capture by the
Allies, and unless evacuated immediately
their loss will mean the loss of thousands
of men and vast stores of ammunition f
i and supplies by the Teutons.
WEDNESDAY
Washington; The senate passed the
army appropriation bill this afternoon
without a roll call.
Buenos Aires: Argentine has served
notice that she will support the United
States in her war with Germany.
Washington: The war department is
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as you are.
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