The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-14

cOHSultdtIOn WIN his colleagues on
the commission, has accepted the
craftsmanship offered him by the ma
tional defense council of the new
food board in the United States.
Mr.. Hoover expects to leave shortly
for America. Meanwhile he has ini-
tiated a wide inquiry in France, Eng
land and italy regarding the existing
food situation, having the cooperation
of the various governments in this
work.
Mr.. Hoover made the following
statement. to the Associated Press
outlining his plans:
II will at present continue as chair
man Of the Belgian relief commits
sion. but will return to the United
States sh hortly.
Beginning today, am initiating
wide inquiry in France, England and
Italy in cooperation with govern
ment departments into the existing
food situation, the prospect of the
coming harvest, important necessities
and the methods of regulating food
control els at present in operation
and their working results in allied
countries. One important feature of
this inquiry will be methods used to
control prices and for the elimination
Of speculation for Europe has been
a vast experimental laboratory in this
particular. The staff of the relief
commission which recently evacuated
Belgium have volunteered to under
take the details of this investigation.
They already have arrived in England
and France for the work which
starts Immediately and by virtue of
the complete data in the hands of
the various governments it should re.
quire just a short time for the CO.
relation Of all essential matters.
"The foremost duty of America to-
ward her allies in this war is to see
that they are supplied with food.
Their women are in the fields, but
production in their territories is
bound to be much below normal. If
they are to continue to fight much
larger burden of the food supply
must res,: upon America. From the
necessities of the case we can pu.
but few soldiers in the field but every
spadeful of earth turned by our farm
ers. every seed we plant, every ounce
Of waste we eliminate, is just as much
q contribution to the joint cause as
that of man in the trenches.
I'VE must increase our production
by every device Of our able farming
communities which the stimulating ad-
vice and guidance our agricultural in
stitutions can invent. but beyond this
we must stop waste in every scrap of
fosdstuffs. We must even be pre-
pared to deprive ourselves if neces-
sary.
IF America will only eliminate
waste and extravaganza in food it
will go far to help the whole problem.
Among our allies the women are
working us hard as the men. There
is no body of women in the world SO
capable of rising to an emergency as
American women; nor is there anv
problem 80 peculiarly capable of So
luton by them as the elimination of
waste and extravaganza. Much can
be done by the substitution of the
more abundant commodities for those
that our allies need most.
For instance, every person in
America who eats cornbread instead
of wheat bread helps in the present
wheat shortage, for the English peo-
pie have never learned how and have
not the equipment to make corn
bread because they do not bake in
the household at all and cornbread
can not be- served from the baker.
ut is obvious that our allies must
have first call on our food surplus.
If we are to divert our manpower
and our womanpower to furnish
foodstuffs to neutrals, they must be
compelled to give some equivalent
service to our allies. They can fur
nish shipping or commodities or man
ufactures which our allies need in re-
turn for food from us. |
1.-THE war probably will last an
other year and from the present cut
look of the worlds food supply we
shall have all we can do, by the |
utmost elimination of waste and the
utmost stimulation Of production, to |
carry our allies through with their
full fighting stamina"