Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-31
A NEW SAVING, PLAN
ny FREDERIC J. HAsI<IN

| | tEOEkS
WASHINGTON. July ga few days
ago, Washington matron at market
noticed several baskets OF string beans
standing in corner. How much are
those!" she asked the merchant. "oh,
those are moldy." explained the mer-
chant. II am not selling them."
The matron picked UP q handful OF
the beans. damp gray mold covered
some of them. but for every one that
was moldy there were FIVE or six per-
rect beans. What are you going to do
with them7" she inquired finally.
Throw them away" said the truck
merchant. At which the lady walked
thoughtfully away. ponderlng the
country's lack of system. The day be-
iore she had been in quarter of
Washington where even moldy beams
would have been greeted with the ut
most enthusiasm.
Suddenly. she retraced her stops to
the truck merchants stall. why don't
you give those beans to some poor peo-
pie?" she asked. That gentleman was
busy putting up the days orders.
asserted briefly. grabbing up a paper
oag and thrusting a head Of lettuce in
It. IF I started distributing waste
products among the poor wouldn't
have timc for any other business"
The matron OF this incident was Mrs.
=. p. Claxton. wife Of the United States
commissioner Of Education. Mrs.
Claxton. who has been serving on nu-
merous food preservation committees
for war relief. had an idea which
amounted to nothing less than an in
spiration. According to Assistant Sec
rotary OF Agriculture. Carl Vrooman
and other conservation experts. II Is
the most practical idea that has yet
been evolved concerning this parti-
GUAR problem. Here It is:
should systematise Saving.
In the first place. the question of
food preservation Is something which
should be undertaken by each munich
patty rather than by scattered COM
mittees or women. who, however ener-
Eetic and efficient. are hampered by the
FAC, ,ack or authority and organization.
Inc work that they are doing in en-
couraging women to preserve food In
tneir own homes could not be done any
petter. but experience has shown that
this alone does not solve the problem.
drocers will not give away or sell at
a small cost waste products to women
VINO could otherwise buy better goods
Mt higher prices: many women have not
the time to can food. and other attcmpt
the task only to meet with failure
Thc idea Is to establish central
FOOD preservation station in each and
preferably In
public school or some empty building
near market. 1t should not be diff
cult to get people to donate the use
OF such buildings. Here equipment
must he Installed for preserving food on
large scale--canning and drying ap-
paratrs. glass Jars. stout paper bag,
and kitchen tools for the workers.
These stations will be In charge Of paid
domestic science teachers who will SUI
perviHe the work OF volunteer assist.
ants. A motor truck will be needed to
collect tho produce and carry II to
the station.
OF course. in order to start an
amateur canning factory OF this kind.
money will be needed. SO perhaps tho
nrst act OF the municipal food preser-
walton committee should be to establish
finance committee. The money will
have to be raised by subscription
There must be funds with which to buy
at small cost the food which mcr-
chants refuse to give away: money to
buy tho working equipment. to pay
the domestic science teachers and to
pay for gas. and for gasoline with
which to run the delivery end of the
business.
Food Gathering Committee.
The second committee In line OF I'm
portance is the food-gathering COM
mittee. 1t will be the duty OF the
members OF this committee to make
daily canvass OF stores. small truck
patches and farms where they will So
licit food for the station. In Maryland.
in spite OF a vigorous conservation
campaign. thousands OF bushels Of
strawberries in the city market did
not pay for the labor and rate Of
transportation. Next year. It is planned
to send gangs OF volunteer strawberry
pickers and other harvesters from the
food preservation stations to the sur
rounding farms. which will be glad to
sell their produce at minimum cost
rather than to see It wasted.
That this waste was not confined to
Maryland but took place In other
States this year is proved by reports
received by the Department Of Agri-
culture. One man In Virginia wrote
to the Bureau OF Farm Management
not long ago. and said that his truck
patch was producing five times as much
he could use and that he would
gladly give the stuff to the government
II il would send some one to get It,
Then there was tho case recently OF
dairy farmer on the outskirts of New
York who was severely rebuked by a
food conservation committee OF that
city for dumping gallons of buttermilk
into his pastures. The dairyman wrote
to the committee and explained that
1t did not pay him to ship buttermilk