The Press., 1917-11-01
SPECIAL EFFORTS MADE
 IN SMALL COMMUNITIES
Cards Printed in Foreign Languages. Patriotic Women Taking Prominent Part in Movement to Reach as Many as Possible of the Housewives of the
 State-Leaders Expect Quota Will Be Exceeded.

Ver's gigantic army, which will Oper- ate exclusively in this country and chiefly in family kitchens.
 Francis R. Cooley of this city, the campaign director appointed by Her bert c. Hoover, upon the recOmmen- dation of Robert Scoville, COnnecti- cuts federal food administrator, checked up today with his colleague, Mrs. Joseph W. Alsop of Avon, chair man of the women's committee in the present campaign, and with his dep uty director, D. Newton Barney of Pennington, with the result that they found that the largest number of cards were being signed in the cit- ies and larger towns. This was to be expected, but the ratio was larger than the population warranted, and they issued an emergency appeal to the people in the smaller cOmmuni- ties of Connecticut to sign up the pledge cards and if they had not been approached by the workers in thei! home localities to get in touch with the county or town chairmen.
 In addition to the English lan- guage, the pledge cards have been printed in large quantities in the Italian, Hungarian, Slovenian and Polish language. The pledge signed by the housewife is very simple. It merely acknowledges a willingness to join in the service of food conserva- tion for this nation and agrees to carry out the directions and advice of the food administrator in the home so far as circumstances will permit. There are no fees or dues exacted, and each signer of 8 pledge card is entitled to the membership window card, which is already visible in the windows of many patriotic homes in Connecticut.
 Card campaigners' Fast Race.
 With the second Liberty loan cam paign so successfully finished the pledge card campaigners are hitting the same fast pace set last week in the loans whirlwind finish, and Di rector Cooley said today that he had received reports from a number of towns in Connecticut where the loan campaigners and the pledge card campaigners were identical and had worked on both matters successfully. Middletown was one place that began the week with Q large number of signed cards in hand, and several small towns of Hartford county set a laudable example for other small aoun nnY1n ifi0a in &ho state
 Among the prominent women of the state who have volunteered their full. services for this important work, on the results of which may possibly depend whether or not this country is to have ration cards before the war is ended, are Miss Mary Bulkley of Hartford, Mrs. c. F. Messinger of New Haven, New Haven county chairman; Mrs. Winchester Bennett of New Haven, Mrs. B. G. H. Schenck of Wilton, Fairfield county chair man; Mrs. H. w. Fleck of Bridge port, Mrs. Samuel Russell, Jr., of Middletown, Middlesex county chair man; Mrs. A. c. Armstrong of Mid dletown, Mrs. Clarence Wadsworth of MiddletOwn, Mrs. Karl M. Winters of Waterbury, Mrs. Samuel Shaw of Bedding. Mrs. Irving Chase of Wa terbury, Mrs. A. E. Scranton Taylor of Norfolk, Litchf1eld county chair man; Miss Rosamond Danielson of Putnam, Windham county chairman; Mrs. Gladys F. Ogden of Stamford, Miss Louise Howe of Norwich, Mrs. A. H. Benton of Andover, Holland county chairman, and Miss Catherine Luding of Old Lyme. New London county chairman.
 These are but few of the earnest, loyal women of the state who are CO., operating to their utmost this week with their men colleagues and with such organizations as the local cham bers of commerce to get in at least 200, 900 cards, though every one of the state headquarters attaches be- lieve the number will be nearer 25O,- OOO.
 Explain Need of New Pledges
 Over and over again during the last week and even today the work CTS on the outside reported to head quarters that the housewives were demanding to know why they were being asked to sign the pledge cards which they believe they had signed in good faith and sent to Washington last spring. Headquarters continue to make the much reiterated expla- nation that unfortunately those old cards gathered by the thousands last spring were now valueless because of circumstances beyond the control of the Connecticut food conservation ists. When those cards poured in to Washington last spring the food ad- ministration facilities were at the time inadequate to handle and segre- gate them by states. Of the vast number mailed from Connecticut less than 10000 were salvaged, and thus, of course, the present campaign is the answer.
 Another problem that headquarters has suddenly discovered it must con- tend with is an atmosphere of dis trust and levity on the part of many housewives and other handlers of food. They fnd the question has been raised as to what does all this much heralded organization and cam paign amount to and why can't any body sign the card and then forget it. Campaign Director Cooley most Omphatically impressed upon his dis trict managers today that he wanted nc innineers signeEs of the eaEaa, bat