AMERICA TACKLES THE FOOD PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 9, 5 October 1917, Page 5

AMERICA TACKLES THE FOOD PROBLEM

FOOD CONTROLLER'S POLICY

THE NATION MUST HELP

Mr Herbert C. Hoover, tho American Pood Administrator, has issued tho following statement of policy and aims:— The hopes of the Jood administration aro threefold. First, to so guido the trade in tho fundamental food commodi-ties-as to eliminate vicious speculation, oxtortion, and wasteful practices, and to stabiliso prices in tho essential stapes. Second, to guard our exports so that against the world's shortage we retain, sufficient supplies for our own people, and to co-operato with tho Allies to prevent inflation of prices, and third, that v,o stimulate in every manner within our power the saving of our food in. order that wo may increase exports to our Allies to n point which wi 1 enable thorn to properly provision their armies and to feed thoir peoples during tho coming W Th o r 'food administration is called into being to stabiliso and not to disturb conditions, and to defend honest enterp u,o against illegitimate competition It as been devised to correct the ?»"°™X es and abuses that have crept into trade DJ reason of the world disturbance and to restore business as far as may. be to a reasonable basis. „„„„trv T Tho business men of this countn, i am convinced, as a result of ma"}',£<«dreds of conferences with representttnes of the great forces of fpod supplj•, loalfte their own patriotic obligation and tho solemnity of ihe situation, and will faiilj and generously cooperate m national emergency. Ido that drastic force need be - »PP lie . (1 ;° maintain economic distribution and eano use of supplies by the great majority of American 1 people, and I e >Xfnco deep and abidfa faith in the ™enco of the average-Amorican business nan, whose Mk4 anticipate and Jep»d »» j to remedy the evils developed by tho war, which ho admits and deplores as dep.y as ourselves. But if there be those who expect to exploit this hour of sacrifice, if there are men or organisations scheming to increase tho trials of tins countrywe shall not hesitate to app y *£'*$, £ * drastic, coercive powers that Cong ess nils, conferred upon us in this instr Inout. In enforcing tho measures of tho Act it is Bot.our Intention to proceed th a host of punitive measures, but ljtter, by co-ordination with the various 1 ad es to effect such constructive regulationi M will Tender gambling, ertorhw. and other wasteful practices invpossibc, >und will stabilise prices. Indulgence in pro fleering in this hour of is far from tho wish or the will of the vast majority of our business people, anaI am convinced that, while we must have ready in reserve, tho corrective pouer*. given us, we shall by these powers^ 0 the great majority from necessity to compete with operators whoso sole tfioit.to to inflate prices and bring into disrepute the majority of honest traders A\ e, wonose to proceed as rapidly as possible wftl consWvo regulation ™ commodities and to N announce each programme as quickly its it.rs properly for mulated. We hope Whin the next few days to announce the method of wheat and flour control.

A Deep Obligation. The deep obligation is upon us to-feed ,'tho armies and the peoples associated with us in this struggle. The diversion of 10,000,000 of their,men to war cr war work; the additional millions of * onion drafted to the places of their husbands and brothers; the toU of the submarine,, have all conspired to so reduce pioduction that their harvests this autumn will fall 500,000,000 bushels of grain below their normal production. Always dependent upon import from other countries for a substantial part of their food needs, our 'Western European Allies, because ot the destruction of shipping by submarine and the isolation from the normal markets by belligerent lines, are forced to a large degree upon our market, not only as the nearest, but as the only .market capable of relieving their .bitter nreessiTherefore, whereas -wo exported before the war. but 80,000,000 bushels of wheat per annum, this year, by one means or another, we must find for them 225,000,000 bushels, and this in the face of a short cropJ Our best will but partly meet their needs, for oven then they must reduce their bread consumption 25 per cent., and it will be war bread they must war bread, of irhich a large portion consists of other cereals. ' Already the greater call for meat and animal products, due to the stress s ot war on the millions of men on tho fighting lino, and tho enhanced physical labour of populations ordinarily subsisting on lighter diets, coupled with the inadequate world supply, have compelled our Allies to kill upwards of 33,000,000 head of their 6tock' animals.. This is burning the .candle at both eods, for they are thus stifling their annual production. Therefore, not only must we increase their supplies of meat and dairy products, but must prepare, as war goes on, to meet an. even greater demand for these necessary commodities. France and Italy formerly r-roduced. their own 6\igar, while England r.nd Ire. land imported largely from Germany.. Owing to the inability of the first named to produce moro than one-third of their needs, and tho necessity for >tho others to import from other markets, -~key all must come to tho West Indies for very largo supplies, and therefore deplete our own resources. . . Because of the shortage of shipping, only the most concentrated of foods, wheat, grain, beef, pork, and daily produce and sugar, can be sent across tho seas. Fortunately we have for our own use a superabundance of foodstuffs of other kinds-the perishables fish, corn, and other-cereals—and surely cur first manifest duty is to substitute ihese for those other products which are of greater uso to our fellow-fighters.

Eliminate Waste. Our second duty is to eliminate wastes to the .last'degree. Seventy per cent, of; our people are well known to be as thrifty and careful as any in the world, and tney consume but little or no more than is necessary to maintain their pl'ysical strength. They can, however, sub. stituto foods as above. It is not too much to'ask the'other 30 per cent., by simpler Hying to' reduce their consumption. TKe substitutions we ask impose no hardships, and the elimination, of waste is to-day no more than a patriotic Every ounce of waste is a contribution toward starvation. Our Allies have reduced consumption by the most arnshc measures, but'it is impossible to reduce consumption to those in war who work and engage in other physical labour. Therefore tlio iucidonts of this drastic reduction among our Allies falls upon the old people and the women and children, and any shortage m the sup-' plie3 wo may send them will fall upon this class, and this class only, for until they are reduced to starvation. they themselves will insist on every sacrifice in order that their fighters in the trenches and the men and women in the munition factories may bo maintained. This war is a' struggle.to assure the dominance of democracy. Every flag that flies against the Central Powers is by proxy tho American flag, Avery man in tho ranks of tho Allies, e-ery woman and child in Europe sacrificing in the maintenance of these men, are fighting in our defence. We have in our abundance and in our waste an ample supply to carry them and ourselves over tho next winter without suffering. If wo fail it is .because individual American citizens have failed to see and do this loyal national duty. This is a service in which .every man, woman, and child in this country may enter. Wo shall invite all classes and all trades to sign a volunteer pledge to co-operate with us in tho undertaking, and so became as much members of the Food Administration as we ourselves are. There is no royal road lo food conserTation. It can bo.accoia«Jish<Hl only through sincere and earnest dally cooperation in the 20,000,000 kitchens and at tho 20,000,000 dinner tables of tho United States. If we can reduce our consumption of wheat flour by one pound our meat by seven ounces, our fat by seven ounces, our sugar by seven ounces per person per week, those quantities, multiplied by 100,000,000 will immeasurably aid and encourage our Allies, help our own p-rowing armies, and so eflectivclv eorve tho meat and noble canso of humanity in which our nation has embarked.