The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-08-25
HOOVER TELLS Of
FOOD SITUATION
Administrator Issues Message
on Conservation.
IS GREAT PROBLEM OF WAR
Americas Production and Needs Of the
Allied Nations Set Forth-what
We Must Do to Keep Wolf
From the Door.

washington, Aug. 20.-Herbert {
hoover, United States food admin.
traitor, today issued TO the American
pubic his statement covering the foo
situation as il now exists and the ne
cessity Of conserving the food re
sources OF the nation 10 provide 70
the future during the continuance O
the war. The statement follows:
Food is always more or less of .
problem in every phase of its prOduc
ton, handling and consumption. II /.
problem with every farmer, every
transporter and seller, every house
holder. Ii is a problem with every
town, state and nation. And now, very
conspicuously, it is a problem with
three great groups of nations, namely
the allies, the central empires and the
neutrals; In word IL is great inter-
national problem.
The food problem today Of our own
nation, therefore has as its most con-
spicuous phase an international charac-
ter. A sufficient and regular supply
OF food for the maintenance of the
great field armies Of our fighting allies
and OF their no less great armies of
working men and working women In
the war industries, and finally for the
maintenance OF the women and chill
dren In the home, is an absolute ne
cessity, second to no other, for the
gnecRSGfIII %
liberty. In the providing of this food
Tor the great allied food pool, the Unit
ed States plays predominant part.
With the present diversion of tens OF
millions of men from the farms into
the fighting and industrial armies, re-
sulting In marked lessening of food
production, and the present necessity
or increasing the daily ration Of other
millions OF men turned from sedentary
occupations into those of strenuous
physical labor, resulting In a marked
Increase Of consumption, this deficiency
between the food needs and the food
production OF the allies becomes great
er than ever, with the consequence of
large increase I'm the food quantities
imperatively needed from the United
States II the allied armies are to be
able to 'carry on"
Worlds Iarder Examined.
This Is general statement of n CON-
dition which only needs to be eIabor-
ated in detail to show just what we
nave to do. The time has come when |
this detailed statement can be made.
our harvest and the harvests of Eu- |
rope can now be forecast. We can
also survey our combined stocks of |
food animals; in other words, the size
or that part of the worlds larder ON
which We and the allies can draw for
the next twelve months can now be es-
tlmated. This estimate shows at once
that 1t contains too little for our own
and our allies use unless we all ad-
minister the supply with the greatest
care and wisdom. The allied peoples
are theoretically undertaking this ad-
1t lies now with us to
do our part. II we fail, the people of
the allies cannot be maintained at war.
Their soldiers cannot fight without
food. certain definitely determine
Die part OF that food must come from
us. Let us then examine carefully the
worlds larder as 1t appears today, or
SO much of 1t as Is at our disposal.
L propose to review the situation
nrst, as regards the cereals, second. as
regards food animals and their prod
ucts, third. as regards sugar, fourth.
as regards vegetables, fifth, as regards
nsh and sea foods, and, finally, as re-
CARDS our duty In the matter.
Cereals.
The 1917 harvest is now so far adj.
vanced that we may compare II with
previous production, and with the de-
mands which are going to be made on
It. o ="
Table No. Is given to show the
normal peace sources OF the annual
supplies Of France. Italy. the United
Kingdom and Belgium, being an aver.
age OF the three-year pre-war period
II VIII be seen from this table thar
ne normal imports of wheat are $751;
tO,0OO bushels and OF other cereals
'4o.OOO.OOO bushels. The estimate of
ne 1917 harvest In the allied countries
'ased upon crop reports from these
ountries, is as follows:
"a ID,