Nov. 1, Sept. 1, Oct. 1, Nov. 1, 1917 1918 1918 1918 Breadstuffs $0.2105 $0.2077 $0.2026 $0.1999 Live stock .6785 .7400 .7100 .6960 Provisions 4.0285 4.3264 4.5359 4.5889 Fruits .4288 .3725 .3725 .3725 Hides and leather 2.3900 2.2150 2.2150 2.2050 Textiles 5.1179 5.8742 5.7554 5.7029 Metals 1.1477 1.4233 1.3662 1.3062 Coal and coke .0101 .0119 .0120 .0120 Oils .9084 1.3185 1.3121 1.2734 Naval stores .0956 .1295 .1255 .1348 Building materials .1448 .2047 .2047 .2046 Chemicals and drugs 1.4261 1.5153 1.5253 1.5278 Miscellaneous .4832 .7095 .6795 .6870 -------- -------- -------- ------- Total $17.0701 $19.0485 $19.0167 $18.9110 [Illustration: Photo by P. Thompson A Municipal Canning Station In city establishments like the one shown above, food that would otherwise go to waste in the markets was saved, and women were instructed in the best methods of putting up fruits and vegetables for winter use.] FOOD CONDITIONS AND PRICE LEVEL, 1919 A clear summary of the food situation and price conditions in the half-year succeeding the armistice is to be found in the Federal Commission's Memorandum on food stocks and wholesale prices, June, 1919: "The comparative amounts of food stocks on hand June 1, 1919, as against June 1, 1918, in the case of many important foods, show that the stocks are considerably larger. "On June 1, 1918, the United States stocks were in demand for feeding the armies of the Allies as well as the civilian population. The fact that stocks of many important foods were much larger on June 1, 1919, while prices were as high or higher, apparently, means that they are being withheld speculatively for a world demand which is not now here but which is expected when hunger-impelled strikes secure higher wages with which higher food prices can be paid. "The statistics of stocks are from the latest and last issue of the Bureau of Markets 'Food Surveys,' June 27, 1919. We use the quantities reported by identical firms for 1918 and 1919. (Stocks held June 1, 1919, by other firms not reporting for June 1, 1918, increase the actual stocks from 5 or 10 per cent. up to 20 or 25 per cent. over the comparable stocks). The stocks are those in warehouses and cold storage houses and in hands of wholesale dealers. Retail stocks are not reported. The prices are wholesale prices, furnished by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the first Tuesday in June.