a very uneconomical form of fuel; for protein, the most expensive and the only essential form of food, yields but the same amount of energy as sugar and less than half that of fat.
Germany is in a far more serious position as regards the supply of protein than of energy-producing foods, so that we need not further consider these latter. Eltzbacher contends that the quantities represented on the left-hand side of the diagram on p. 30 are a true statement of German protein needs and the means for more than meeting them. He claims that the yearly needs (1,605,000 tons) for the 68,000,000 people are very nearly met by existing resources (1,554,000 tons), and that it will be possible by special efforts to increase the resources to more than 2,000,000 tons. The data on which these conclusions are based have been subjected to a searching examination by Dr. A. D. Waller, Professor of Physiology in the University of London, and Professor W. J. Ashley, holding the Chair of Commerce in Birmingham University. These authorities concur in the opinion that the German case is stated far too optimistically. Dr. Waller's conclusions are represented on the right-hand side of the diagram on p. 30 prepared by him and kindly lent to me for reproduction.[1] It is unnecessary to quote the figures, which are clearly shown, but it will be seen that Dr. Waller believes that the German needs were greatly underestimated, the resources as well as the means of extending them greatly overestimated by Eltzbacher. Professor Ashley, in a critical examination of the data in the Quarterly Review for October, comes to the same conclusion. It is only necessary to mention here the principal criticism, although there are many others. The
- ↑ I am also indebted to Dr. Waller for the loan of the diagram facing p. 16.
