The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-12-08
Country approaching
Great Food Crisis
Mrs. Elmer Black Returns from Europe, Where
She Gained New Perspective of the ~
Problems of Food for Every One.

Back from Europe. where she wal
presented at the Court of st. James ir
London and was honored as a distin'
guished attendant upon the peace con-
ference at Geneva, Mrs. Elmer Black
of New York, now visiting Washing.
ton, brought from the old countries nc
ideas that could supplant municipal
markets as a means Of solving, par
TALLY at least the problems OF the Nv
ing costs.
Mrs. Black gained a new perspective
of the problems, she said last night,
and she asserted that not until she
looked at the home markets from the
distance of the continental cities did
she realize how closely the United States
is approaching q greater food crisis than
this country has ever known.
Washington she finds in advance of
New York for the facilities for the sale
and distribution of food. but even here,
she declares. there is need Of constant
watchfulness to eliminate waste be-
tween farm and fireside. Mrs. Black
believes the general and close interest
of the people in municipal markets a
hopeful sign, and she says much hard
ship can be averted If precautionary
measures are applied.
Future Meat supply.
Most important Of all is the meat
supply" said Mrs. Black. Ten years
ago London received from America near
ly half of the 100000 tons of meat re-
Quired every year to feed its millions
To-day America is consuming almost all
its own meat and our packers are look
ing to the Argentine for future augmen-
tation of the supplies. But there we shall
have to meet the competition OF buyers
not merely from free-trade England, but
protective continental countries as well.
some of whose urban centers are expert
encing such shortage of ordinary flesh
foods that the consumption Of horse
flesh is increasing to an amazing extent.
No less than twenty additional centers
for the sale OF horse-flesh have been IL
Censed in Berlin in the past year, and
even now. that Russian meat is being
admitted for sale at the municipal mar
kets. the demand is greater than the
supply.
An this points TO the fact that We
must no longer trust to haphazard meth
DDS in this country. This is an age of
close organiza ton in business. and We
must apply that same efficiency to the
municipal machine II the community is
to receive its due return Of benefit. Not
that | consider the making of profit
on the markets is the all-impOrtant mat
ter. though l can prove that all the great
European markets are at least self-sup-
porting Beyond that is the increased
efficiency of the people. resulting from
cheap. fresh, varied and ample food sup
ply More than ever before in this
world 5 history the struggle is to the
strong and the race to the swift. II
nothing is done to meet the cost of liv-
ing hundreds of thousands of our cii-
zens will not be able to purchase such
supplies as will build the best physique
and maintain the strength Of nerve and
cerebral tissue that are all important in
this age of celebrity.
My own interest is directed chiefly by
the consideration of the women and chill
dren. whose welfare in this and the next
generation rests largely on the solution
of the problems that surround the market