What of the United States? Although not hit by major crop failure, it now has within its borders over twenty-five million persons who do not enjoy what is officially called a “decent standard of living”​—in other words, they are poor and often hungry.

At the same time U.S. food prices continue to rise! In 1972, retail food prices were up 4.8 percent in the U.S. over the previous year; they are predicted to rise 6 percent in 1973. Meanwhile food prices soared 8.6 percent in neighboring Canada during 1972.

These price hikes are directly affected by the amount of food available. The greater the demand for existing supplies the higher the prices. Thus in the United States during 1972 the price of “number two hard wheat” rose over 61 percent per bushel, largely due to Soviet demands on the existing supply. Now, as the accompanying chart shows, U.S. reserves have vanished.

[Graph on page 5]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

The U.S. Grain Reserves HAVE VANISHED

1963 1969 1973

2,299 MILLION BUSHELS 569 MILLION BUSHELS SUPPLIES EXHAUSTED