fc.
DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD; DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA.
7
m
VI
h
Y
If LLS OF
Administrator Issues Message
on Conservation.
IS GREAT PROBLEM OF WAR
America's Production and Needs of the
Allied Nations Set Forth What
We Must Do to Keep Wolf
From the Door.
Washington, Aug. 20. Herbert O.
Hoover, United States food adminis
trator, today Issued to the American
public his statement covering the food
situation as it now exists and the ne
cessity of conserving the food re
sources of the nation to provide for
the future during the continuance of
tho war. The statement follows:
Pood Is always more or less of a
problem in every phase of Its produc
tion, handling and consumption. It Is
n problem with every farmer, every
transporter and seller, every house
holder. It Is a problem with every
town, state and nation. And now, very
conspicuously, it Is a problem with
three great groups of nations, namely,
tho "allies, the central empires and tho
neutrals ; In a word It is a great inter
national problem.
Tho food problem today of our own
nation, therefore has as its most con
spicuous phase nn international charac
ter. A sufficient and regular supply
of food for the maintenance of tho
great field armies of our fighting allies
and of their no less great armies of
working men and working women in
tho war industries, and finally for the
maintenance of the women and chil
dren In the home, Is an absolute ne
cessity, second to no other, for the
successful prosecution of the war for
liberty. In the providing of this food
for the great ullled food pool, tho Unit
ed States plays a predominant part.
With the present dlverslonof tens of
millions of men from the farms into
the fighting nnd Industrial armies, re
sulting in a marked lessening of food
production, and the present necessity
of increasing the dally ration of other
millions of men turned from sedentary
occupations Into those of strenuous
physical labor, resulting in a marked
increase of consumption, this deficiency
between the food needs and the food
production of the nllies becomes great
er than ever, -with the consequence of
a large increase In the food quantities
Imperatively needed from the United
States If the allied armies are to be
able to "carry on.'J
World's Larder Examined.
This Is a general statement of a con
dition which only needs to be elabor
ated in detail to show just what we
have to do. The time has come when
this detailed statement can be made.
Our harvest and the harvests of Eu
rope cau now bo forecast. We can
also survey our combined stocks of
food animals; in other words, tho sizo
of that part of the world's larder on
which wo and the allies can draw for
the next twelve months can how be es
timated. This estimate shows at once
that it contains too little for our own
nnd our allies uso unless we all ad
minister the supply with the greatest
care and wisdom. The allied peoples
are energetically undertaking this ad
ministration. It lies now with us to
do our part. If we fall, the people of
the allies cannot bo maintained at war.
Their soldiers cannot fight without
food. A certain definitely determina
ble part of that food must come from
us. Let us then examine carefully tho
world's larder as It appears today, or
so much of It as Is at our disposal.
I propose to review the situation
first, ns regards tho cereals, second, as
regards food animals and their prod
ucts, third, ns regards sugar, fourth,
ns regards vegetables, fifth, as regards
fish and sea foods, and, finally, as re
gards our duty In the matter.
Cereals.
The 1017 harvest Is now so far ad
vanced that we may compare. It with
previous production, and with the de
mands which are going to 'be made on
It.
Table No. 1 is given to show .tho
normal peace sources of the annual
supplies of France, Italy, the United
Kingdom and Belgium, being nn aver
age of tho three-year pre-war period.
It will bo seen from this table that
the normal Imports of wheat are 381,
000,000 bushels and of other cereals
B45.OOO.OO0 bushels. The estimate of
tho 1017 harvest In the ullled countries
based upon crop reports from these
countries, Is as follows:
Probable Av. nor- Deficiency
Com- 1917 pro- mal pro- In prod'n.
modlty. ductton. ductlon. due to war.
Wheat ...893,770,000 690,675.000 196,906.000
Corn .... 84,484,000 121.1O9.O0O 2S.S46.O00
Data' 837,235.000 70,890.000 233,068.000
Barley ... 93,685,000 125,201,000 31.S1S.000
Bye 41,732,000 78,673,000 86,841,000
Total ..860,788,000 1,486,448,000 625,662,000
In order to provide normal consump
tion It would therefore be necessary to
Import In the next 12 months a total
of 677,000,000 bushels of wheat and
674,000,000 bushels of other cereals.
The prospective position of our own
and tho Canadian harvest is given In
table No. 2.
Onr crops, especially our corn crop,
cannot yet bo considered as certain,
but if all mature safely, North Amer
ica will have an apparent surplus of
wheat of 208,000,000 bushels and of
other cereals of about 050,000,000
bushel .
Denand on Our Crops.
The n'lles are Isolnted from those
nip "-- her than Canada and tho
HOOVER
TABLE
"""""" '
Commodity. Production.
Wheat t 690,675,000
Corn 121,109,000
Oats 670,890.000
Barley 125,201,000
Uyo 78,673,000
Total 1.4S6.44S.OOO
TABLE
Probable
Commodity. U. S 1917
Wheat 678,000,000
Corn 3.124,000,000
Oats 1.453.000.000
Barley 214.000.000
Uye 6,100,000
Totals' 6,525,100,000
United States, on which they were ac
customed to rely before tho war. Tho
Russian supply cannot bo got out.
Bulgarian and Roumanian supplies arc
In tho hands of tho central empires.
The voyage from Australln and Indln
Is three times ns long and therefore
requires three times ns many tons of
shipping as Is required from North At
lantic ports. It is nlso twlce'ns dan
gerous becnuse of tho longer exposure
to submarine nttack. There has been
a largo failure In the South American
countries nnd tho new harvest from
that quarter will not bo available In
Europe until next spring. As nlrendy
said, all tho allied countries are and
have been for some time rigorously ad
ministering nnd economizing their
food. In Belgium, the relief 'commis
sion has been compelled to reduce tho
consumption of ccrenls by nearly CO
per cent; this brings tho food supply
so low that the population are ln
capablc of labor.
From the above tables It will bo
seen that on normal bases of consump
tion the total allied wheat Import re
quirements nre 577,000,000 bushels
against a North American surplus of
208,000,000 bushels and from our
United States supplies we must re
serve a certain amount for neutrals
from which we receive vital supplies
and nlso nn amount to protect our
stocks better next year than this last.
There Is therefore on normnl con
sumption n deficit of over 400,000,000
bushels. In the other cereals used In
Europe mostly for animal feed, the
Import necessities of the allies on nor
mnl consumption basis are about 074,
000,000 against a North American sur
plus of 050,000,000. But again n re
serve for neutrals and Increased "car
ry over" will absorb nil the margin.
In nny event It means we must multi
ply our exports of theso cereals 20
times. However, upon the basle of our
present crop prospects we should be
able to supply their requirements In
cereals other than whent.
Wheat Situation Difficult. ,
The situation In wheat Is ono of.
great difficulty and concern, and must
be met by nn elimination of waste and
reduction of consumption on the part
of the allied peoples nnu ourselves, In
one word, by nn effective administra
tion of the available supply.
The allies are unable to uso other
cereals alone for bread. They' can
use them only ns added to wheat flour
to make the war bread now In uni
versal use In European countries. Ex
cept In Italy, whoso people normally
consumo much corn, our allies have
few corn mills nnd comment Is not a
durable commodity nnd therefore can
not be shipped In great quantities.
Moreover, for generations they have
bought bread from the bakeries ; they
have no equipment nor do they know
how to bake In the household. Every
American knows that It Is lnfenslblo
to distribute corn bread from bakeries,
and It Is therefore necessary for us
to furnish our nllies with sufficient
wheat to enable them to have a wheat
basis for the loaf, nowever, they can
use and must use other cereals for
mixture In their wnr bread, and by
this substitution and by savings on
their part a great, .deal can be accom
plished. On the other hand, a deficit
of 400,000,000 bushels can be at least
partlnlly overcome If we can lncrense
our exports from 88,000,000 to 220,
000,000 or nearly triple. This can be
accomplished If wo will substitute ono
pound of other cereals for one pound
of wheat flour weekly per person ; that
Is, If we reduce our consumption of
vheat flour from five pounds per week
to four pounds per week per person.
It will be no privation to us nnd will
reduce the prlvntlon of our allies.
Food Animals.
Owing to the ascending stnndnrd of
living, the world wns already strained
to sunnlv enouch animal products to
Imoet tho demand before the wnr be
gan, The wnr has Injected Into an nl
ready difficult situation a number of
vicious conditions which nre Jeopardiz
ing the ultimate animal products sup
ply of tho world. The production of
fodder in Eurone has been diminished
by the diversion of productive labor to
war, and Its Import has been curtnlled
by shortage In shipping and by tho
isolation of markets by belligerent
lines. From these causes not only nre
the nctunl numbers of nnlmnls de
creasing In Europe, but the average
weight and the annunl output of dairy
products per animal, are decreasing.
A careful estimate of the world's
food animal position showB tho follow
ing position:
Decrease
Increase or In other
decrease Decrease countries
United western Including Total net
States allies enemleB decrease
Cattle 7,000,000 8,420.000 28,750.000 28,080,000
Sheep 8,000,000 17,600,000 34,000,000 64,600,000
Hogs 6,276,000 7,100,000 81,000,000 22,425,000
33,020,000 92,350,000 115,006,000
The problem facing the American
people Is not only ono of supplying
tho immediate demand of the allies, but
one which Is more far-reaching in Its
future significance. As tho war goes
on there will bo n constant lessening of
the capital stock of food anlmalB of
tho world. Among our western al
lies tho demnnd outruns further every
NO. 1.
Imports Imports Net Imports
from from Other Con-
U. S. Canada. Sources, sumption.
79,426.000 112.900,000 188,478,000 974.4S5.000
10,811,000 135,675,000 266,596.000
6.783,000 16.680,000 88,612.000 682.865,000
4.W6.000 6.C00.000 63,030.000 199.W00
667,000 60,000 11,537,000 90.637,000
102,633,000 136,200.000 4S7.134.000 2,214,276,000
NO. 2.
Averofte Probable Add poiwlbto
Normal U. S. U. S. Canadian
Consumption Surplus Surplus
690,304,000 88.000.000 ''
2.653.69S.000 470,000,000 63,000,000
1,148,713,000 804.000,000 .WO
178,829,000 25,000,000 -m
S5.8C6.000 20.200,000 18.000.000
4,607.410,000 917,200.000 239.000,000
day the decreasing production, ns ship
ping becomes further shortened by con
tinued submarine destruction, less ton
nage can bo devoted to fodder, and fur
ther reduction of the herds must en
sue. These destructive forces hnvo
given riso to reactions in many dircc
tlonq. Tho world's supply of meat and
dnlry products, of animal fats and In
dustrial fats, wool and hides, are all
Involved not only now, but for far into
tho future.
Meats.
The Immediate problem Is to fur
nish Increased meat supplies to tho al
lies to maintain them during the wnr.
An Important factor contributing to tho
present situation lies In the disturb
ance to tho world's trade by destrue-
tlon of shipping resulting In throwing'
a larger burden on North America, the
nenrest market Shipments from tho
Australasian, South American and
from tho continental countries Into the
allied countries have been Interfered
with. Their contributions must bo re
placed by Incrcnsed shipments from
North America.
The growth of American ment ex
ports since tho wnr began, most of
which have been supplied by allied na
tions, Is revealed by tho following fig
ures: Three-year pre-war average, 403,
848,000 pounds.
Tenr ending June 30, 1010, 1,330,-
103,000 pounds.
Tho lmpnct of European demand
upon our animal products will bo
maintained for a long period-of yenrs
after peace. We can contemplate a
high range of prices, for ment arid
for nnlmnl products for many years to
come. We must undertake to meet tho
demand not only during the wnr, so as
to enable our allies to continue to fight,
but we must be prepared to meet the
demand after the war. Our herd can
not be Increased In a single night or
In a single year. Our producers will
not only be working In their own ul
timata interest in laying the founda
tion of larger herds nnd flocks, but
will servo our nntlonal Interest and the
Interest of humnnlty, for yenrs to come,
If the best strains of young animals
are preserved. The Increase In herds
can only be accomplished If wq save
more of our roughage and rnlse moro
fodder grains. It Is worth noting that
after the war Europe with lessened
herds will, pending their recuperation,
require less fodder nnd will therefore
produce more bread grains and Im
port less of them, so that wo can after
tho war safely reduce our bread grain
production to Increase our fodder. But
wo must lay our foundation In the
menntlme to Increase our herds.
There Is only one Immediate solution
to the short supply of meat for ex
port pending the Increase In our herds
and flocks which will take years. Dur
ing the course of tho war, we can, Just
as with tho cereals, reduce the con
sumption and eliminate tho waste par
ticularly among those classes which
can best afford It. In the meantime, In
order to protect all of our people, we
must carefully control our ment ex
ports in order that the people shall not
bo denied this prime necessity of life.
Dairy Products.
Tho world's dnlry supplies are de
creasing rapidly for two Important rea
sons. First, tho dairy cattle of Eu
rope are diminishing, for Europe Is be
ing driven 'to ent its cattle for meat;
second, the diversion of labor to war
has decreased the fodder supplies and
the shortngo of shipping hns limited
the amount of Imported fodder nnd
therefore the cattle which can be sup
ported nnd tho productivity of the Indi
vidual cow have been reduced. Even
our own dairy supplies are not keeping
pace with our growth of population, for
our per capita milk supply has fallen
from 00-to 75 gallons annually In tho
past 15 yenrs. Yet today we must ship
Increasing amounts of dairy products
to our allies.
The dairy supplies of the nllies In
normal times came t a considerable
degree from western Scandinavia, Hol
land nnd Switzerland, but under Ger
man pressure theso supplies are now
partly diverted to Germany. Tho men
under nrms nnd the wounded must be
supplied with condensed milk In lnrgc
quantities. Tho net result of theso
conditions, despite rigorous reduction
of consumption among the adults of the
civil population In Europe, Is that our
allies nre still short of large quantities
nnd ngaln the burden of tho replace
ment of this shortage must fall on
North America. The growing exports
of dnlry products from tho United
States to the allies aro shown In the
following table:
Three year Tear ending
average. June 80,1913.
Dutter 4,457,000 lbs. 13,487,000 lbs.
Cheese 3,780,000 lbs. 44,894,000 lbs.
Cond. milk. ...17,792,000 lbs. 169,677,000 lbs.
The high price of fodder and meat In
tho United States during tho past few
months Induced by tho pressing Euro
pean demand has set up dangerous cur
rents In this country, especially In
thoso regions dependent upon butter
and tho sale of milk to municipalities
bavlnc made It moro profitable to sell
tho cattle for meat than to keep them
and produce dairy products. There
fore; the dairy cattle are decreasing
In some sections. The only sections In
which dnlry products hnvo had a rlso
In prlco In appropriate proportion to
tho increase In most of feeds arc those
producing condensed milk nnd cheese.
Our home milk nnd butter supplies
nro therefore looked at In a broad way,
decreasing while our population Is In
creasing. This deficiency of dairy but
ter Is shown by the Increased sales of
mnrgarlne, which show nn Increnso of
several million pounds per month over
similar periods in 1015. Dnlry butter,
however, has qualities which render It
vltnlly necessary for children. Milk
has no substitute nnd Is not only In
trinsically one of our cheapest animal
foods, but Is absolutely fundamental
to the renrlng of tho children.
The dnlry situation resolves Itself
Into several phases. First, It Is to bo
hoped thnt the forthcoming nbundnnt
harvest together with n proper restric
tion upon exports of feeding stuffs will
result In lower prices of feed nnd di
minish the Impetus to sell tho cattle
for meat. Second, (he Industry needs
encouragement so as to Increase tho
dnlry herd and thus our dairy supplies,
for the sake first of our qwii people
and second of the nllies. Tho peoplo
must renllzo the vital dependence of
the well-being of their children, nnd
thus of the nntlon, upon the encourage
ment und upbuilding of the Industry.
Third, we must save the wastes In milk
nnd butter during tho wnr If wo are to
provide milk supplies to all. We waste
largo quantities of our milk value from
our lack of nntlonnl demand for prod
ucts of skimmed nnd sour milk.
Pork Products.
The hog Is tho most efficient of ma
chines for the production of animal fat.
Tho hog not only mukes more fat from
a given amount of feed, but also, the
products mnde are spccln'ly capable of
preservation nnd most economical, for
commercial handling.
The swine of Europe aro rapidly do
creasing nnd the consumption demand
induced by the wnr Is much Increased,
this particularly because bacon, ham
and lard are so adaptable for military
supplies. Moreover, our allies are Iso
lated from many markets and a largo
amount from northern neutrals Is
being diverted to Germnny.
While our hogs have Increased In
number by 3,000,000 animals, tho aver
age weight at slaughter Is falling and
our production Is probably only about
maintained. The Increasing demand
upon us since the war begnn Is shown
by tho following figures of comparative
exports :
Three-yenr, pre-war period, 1,055,
014,000 pounds.
Year ending June 30, 1010, 1,512,
870,000 pounds.
Wool and Leather.
Our nntlonnl supply of both wool
and leather aro less than our needs,
nnd we nre Importing them moro and
moro lnrgely, ns shown by the follow
ing figures:
Importations of wpol nnd manufac
tures of wool (vnlue) for tho three
year pre-war period, 802,457,005; for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1010,
$158,078,271.
Importations (value) of hides, leath
er, and manufactures of leather nver
nge of the three-year pre-war period,
$133,171,308 ; for the year ending Juno
80, 1010, $177,880,002.
At the present time tho world's de
mand for these products has Increased
fnr above the penco level owing to the
extra consumption In supplying tho
armies. This demand Is now again In
creased by tho moblHzntlon of a large
American army. In tho face of this,
not only Is the European herd decreas
ing, but also American sheep have de
creased about 3,000,000 since the wnr
began. After the wnr is over, the va
rious countries 'ot the world from
which wo formerly drew our wool aro
likely to retain It for their own use
until their flocks ngaln become normnl.
Sugar.
The sugar supply on which our allies
In Europe norranlly draw has been
tremendously reduced, so thnt they
must have recourse to other sources.
In consequence of the shipping situa
tion the area from which they must
draw Is also curtailed and, ns a result,
thoy are driven Into thoso mnrkots
from which our own supply normally
arises. Furthermore, their own pro
duction has been greatly diminished.
Before the wur, Europe supplied in a
largo measure Its own needs, through
the production of beet sugar, as will
appear from the following tablo show
ing tho average yearly production nnd
consumption for tho five years before
tho war (1000-1013), In some of the
chief countries of Europu:
Prod'n. Consump Burp, (t)
(short (short or dcJl-
tons) tons) clency (-)
Germany 2,625,899 1,299,655 tl.226.314
Austria 1,661,89 079,204 t 972,C!6
Russia 1,659.947 1.322.2S5 t 337,002
United
Kingdom 2,066,000 -2,056.000
France 762,542 704.830 t 47,712
Italy 211,050 190,000 t 21,050
Belgium 279,918 120,358 t 159.CC0
Holland 216,148 431,638 t 114,608
Ah nppenrs from tho table, France,
Italy, Russia and Belgium were self
supporting, while the United Kingdom
drew its entire sugar supply from ex
terior sources. The supply of tho Unit
ed Kingdom came "to the amount of
about 70 per cent from countries from
which It Is now cut off by the war.
Ten per cent came from tho East In
dies nnd 20 per cent from the United
States and the West Indies.
Tho prospective 1018 crop In Franco
has diminished to 207,000 tons nnd
that of Italy to 75,000 tons, nnd they
nro therefore short 500,000 tons. Tho
displacement of United Kingdom sup
plies amounts to 1,435,000 tons; and
therefore, In total, theso three allied
countries must import nbout 2,700,000
tons In order to ninintaln their normal
consumption. Of thin, 2,000,000 tons
must como from new sources,
Tho disturbance of Bhlpplng re
duces the tonngo available and drives
tho demnnd to a largo degreo upon tho
nenrest markets, tho United States
nnd the West Indies. This field hns
since the war Increased Its production
by 1,000,000 tons per annum, now fnr
this demnnd will Interfere with tho
Amerlcnn supply of 4,000,000 tons Is
difficult to forecast, first, becauso some
Incrcnsed supplies may be obtained by
the allies from the East Indies, nnd,
second, becnuso tho nllies hnvo re
duced their consumption to somo ex
tent. In nny event, If all tho enemies of
Germnny nro to bo supplied, thcro
must be" economy In consumption
everywhere. Tho normal American
consumption Is nbout 00 pounds per
person per annum nnd Is Just double
tho French consumption.
Vegetables.
Wo have this year a most abundant
crop of vegetables for our uso as a re
sult of a patriotic endeavor almost
universal throughout the country. Our
potato harvest alone promises nn In
creaso from 285,000.000 bushels last
year to over 400.000,000 bushels tills
yenr. Tho other vegetables aro like
wise enormously Increased through
the planting nnd extension of millions
of gardens. The sweet potnto crop
promises to bo from 10 to 20 per cent
nbovo what it was last year, and tho
commercial crop of sweet corn for
canning purposes Is estlmnted to bo
from 20 to 30 per cent nbovo that of
last year. Tho commercial crop of
tomatoes for canning purposes will
probably be somewhere between 10
nnd 20 per cent nbovo -what It was last
year. There Is an lncrense In the acre
age of Into 6nlons of nbout 54 per cent
over tho nrca harvested In 1010.
Flsh and Sea Foods.
Tho waters of our coasts and lakes
are enormously rich In food flsh nnd
shell fish. Our streams, too, contrlbuto
a great quantity of fish. Many varie
ties aro now not used fov human food,
tout nre thrown away 'or used for ferti
lizer. Habit has confined our uso of
flsh to a few varieties, and Inndequato
methods of commercial handling hnvo
limited our uso of these largely to only
certnln days in the week. With better
marketing fncllltlcf, with better under
standing of how to use tho most vnrle
tles, with proper preservntlon by
smoking nnd salting and by establish
ing plants for frozen flsh, wo enn ln
crense greatly our supply nnd thus re
lieve largely tho pressure due to tho
Inadequate supply of meat. Wo only
hnvo to harvest our own fish supply.
It feeds, Itself. Every flsh eaten Is
that much gained In solving tho pres
ent problem of living. The products
of the land are conserved by euUng
those of the sen.
Our Duty.
I havo endeavored to show In previ
ous urtlcles that the world Is short of
food; that Europe Is confronted with
the grim specter of starvation unless
from our abundance and our waste wo
keep the wolf from tho door.' Not only
must wo have n proper use of our food
'supply In order that wo may furnish
our allies with the sinews with which
they mny light our battles, but it Is
un act of humanity towards fellow
men, women nnd children.
By tho diversion of millions of men
from production to war, by tho occu
pation of land by nrmles, by tho Iso
lation of markets, by belligerent lines,
and by the destruction of shipping by
submarines, not only hns tho home pro
duction of our allies fallen by over
500,000,000 bushels of grain, but they
are thrown upon us for a much larger
proportion of their normal Imports for
merly obtained from other markets.
They have reduced consumption nt
every point, but men In tho trenches,
men In the shops, and the millions of
women placed at physical labor re
quire more food than during pcaco
times, nnd the incidence of their saving
and any shortage which they mny suf
fer, fulls first upon women and chil
dren. If tills privation becomes too
great, their peoples cannot bo main
tained constnnt In tho wnr, and wo will
be left alone to fight tho battle of
democracy with Germnny.
Tho problem of food conservation Is
one of muny complexions. We cannot,
nnd wo do not wish, with our free In
stitutions and our large resources of
food, to Imitate Europe In Its policed
rationing, but wo must voluntnrlly and
intelligently assume the responsibility
before us as one In which everyone
has a direct and Inescapable Interest.
We must lncrense our export of foods
to the allies, nnd In the circumstances
of our shipping situation, these exports
must be of the most concentrated'
foods. These aro wheat, flour, hoof,
pork and dairy products. Wejhave oth
er foods In gren abundance which wo
can use Instead of these commodities,
and wo can prevent wastes In a thou
sand directions. We must gunrd tho
drainage of exports from tho United
States, that we retain a proper supply
for our own cou.ury, and we must
adopt such measures as will amelior
ate, so far ns may he, tho price condi
tions of our less fortunate. We might
so drnln the supplies from the country
to Europe ns by the high prices that
would follow to force our people to
shorten their consumption. This oper
ation of "normal economic forces"
would starve that clement of tho com
munity to whom we owo the mojifipro
tectlon. Wo must try to lmposei'tho
burden equally upon nil.
Action Must Be Voluntary.
There Is no royal road to food con
servation. We can only accomplish
this by tho voluntnry action of our
wholo people, ench element In propor
tion to Its means. It is n matter of
equality of burden; n mntter of min
uto saving and substitution at every
point In the 20,000,000 kitchens, on the
20,000,000 dinner tnbles and in tho 2,
000,000 manufacturing, wholesnlo nnd
retail establishments of thu country.
Tho task is thus In Its essence tho dally
Individual servlco of all tho people.
Every group can substitute and even
the great majority of thrifty peopla
can savo n'llttle and tho moro luxuri
ous elements of tho population can by
reduction to slmplo living snvo much.
Tho final result of substituting othBr
products nnd saving one pound of
whent flour, two ounces of fats, seven
ounces of sugar and seven ounces of
ment weekly, by each person, will,
when wo hnvo multiplied this by ono
hundred million, hnvo increased our
exports to tho amounts absolutely re
quired by our allies. This means no
moro than thnt wo should ent plenty,
but eat wisely and without waste.
Food conservation has other aspects
of utmost Importnncc. Wnrs must bo
pnld for by savings. Wo must save
In tho consumption In commodities nhd
tho consumption of unproductive In
bor In order thnt wo may divert our
manhood to tho nrmy nnd to the shops.
If by tho reduction In consumption of"
lnbor nnd the commodities that It pro
duces and the diversion of this saving
to thnt labor and thoso commodities
demanded by tho wnr, wo shall be ablo
to fight to eternity. Wo can mortgage
our future savings for a little while,
but n piling up of mortgages Is but u
short step toward bankruptcy. Every
ntoin thnt wo savo Is available for sub
scription to Liberty bonds.
The whole of Europe has been en
gaged over since tho wnr begnn In tho
elimination of waste, the simplification
of life, nnd the Increase of Its Indus
trial capacity. When tho war is over
tho consuming power of tho world will
bo 'reduced by the loss of prosperity
nnd man power, and wo shall enter a
period of competition without parallel
In ferocity. After tho wnr, wo must
malntnln our foreign markets If our
working people nro to be employed.
Wo shall bo In no position to compete
if wo continue to live on the samo
basis of wasto and extravagance on
which wo havo lived hitherto. Simple,
temperntc living Is n moral Issuo of tho
first order at any time, nnd any other
basis of conduct during the war be
comes n wrong against tho Interest of
tho country and tho Interest of
democracy.
Tho Impact of tho food shortage of
Europo has knocked at every door of
tho United Stutes during tho past three
years. Tho prices of foodstuffs havo
nearly doubled, nnd tho reverberations
of Europe's Increasing shortage Would
havo thundered twlco us loudly dur
ing tho coming year even had we not
entered tho war, and It can now only
bo mitigated If wo can exert a strong
control nnd this In many directions.
Wo are today In nn era of high
prices. Wo must mnlntnln prices nt
such n level ns will stlmulato produc
tion, for wo nro faced by a starving
world and tho value of a commodity to
tho hungry Is greater than Its price.
As a result of tho world shortage of
supplies, our consumers havo suffered
from speculation and extortion. While
wages for somo kinds of lnbor havo
Increased with tho rlso In food prlcqs,
In others, It has been difficult to main
tain our high standard of nutrition.
By the elimination of wustc In nil
clnsses, by tho reduction In tho con
sumption of foodstuffs by the moro for
tunnte, we shnll Incrcnso our supplies
not only for export but for home, anil
by Incrcnsed supplies wo can help In
the amelioration of prices.
t For Better Distribution.
Beyond this tho duty has been laid
upon the food ndmlnlstrntlon to co-op-erato
with tho patriotic men In trades
and commerce, that wo may ellmlnato
tho evils which havo grown Into our
Bystera of distribution, thnt the bur
den mny fall equitably upon all by res
toration, so far as muy be, of tho nor
mal course of trade. It Is tho purpose
of tho food administration to uso its
utmost power and tho utmost ability
thnt patriotism can assemble to ameli
orate this situation to such a degreo aa
may bo possible.
The food" administration Is assem
bling tho best expert ndvlco In tho
country on homo economics, on food
utilization, on trade practices and
trade wastes, and on tho conduct of
public eating places, and we shnll out
line from tlmo to time detailed sugges
tions, which ff honestly carried out by
such Individuals In tho country, wo be
lieve will effect the result which wo
must nttuln. Wo nro asking every
home, every public eating place and
many trades, to sign a plcdgo card
to accept those directions, so far as
their circumstances permit, and wo aro
organizing vnrlous Instrumentalities to
ameliorate speculation. Wo are ask
ing tho men of tho country who nro
not actually engaged In the hnndllng
of food to sign similar pledges that
they shall see to It, so fur as thoy aro
able, that these directions nre followed,
Wo nre nsklng all who jvlsh us well
and who undertake our service to be
come nctunl members of the food ad
ministration, Just as much volunteers
In national servlco as wo ourselves are,
so that thus the food administration
mny not be composed of u small body
of men In Washington and a small
representation In ench state, but may
become a body of 50,000,000 people,
devoted absolutely to tho -services of
democracy. Wo hope to see the In
signia of membership In every, patri
otic window In the country.
Autocracy finds Its strength In Its
ability to Impose organization by
forco from the top. The essence ot
democracy consists In tho application
of the ihltlutlvo In Its own people. II
Individualism cannot be so organized
as to defend Itself, then democracy Is a
faith which cannot stand. We nro
seeking to Impose no organization from
tho top. Wo nre nsklng tho American
people to organize from the bottom up,
and this Is tho essence of democracy
Itself.
Tho call of patriotism, of humanity
and of duty rings clear and insistent.
We must heed It if wo are to defend
our Ideals, maintain our form of gov
ernment, and snfeguard our future welfare.
2