Evening star., 1917-05-28
MISS RANKIN Wins
FIRST HOUSE FIGHT
Puts Through Provision That
Women Be Used to Take
Food Census.

Representative Rankin of Montana
made her maiden speech on the floor of
the House today and. incidentally, won
her initial fight. She succeeded In
amending by a unanimous vote in the
committee of the whole the food bill
so as to provide that in making the
proposed food survey the services of
women shall be used is SO far as prac-
ticable
For five brief minutes she spoke.
while the unusually noisy lower body OF
Congress sat in extraordinary silence,
and when she took her seat both sides
of the House burst into vigorous ap-
plause, which was sustained until the
chairman of the committee OF the
whole" was forced to rap for order.
Miss Rankin's amendment to the sec
tion of the bill, which provides for
the expenditure Of $2.522.000 for solv-
ing the problems connected with the
crisis in the food situation. stipulated
that the Secretary of Agriculture
should. so far as may be practical, en-
gage women for the work indicated.
Women Fitted for Work.
"The work provided for in this para
graph" she said. such as gathering
information. extending and enlarging
the news service and preventing waste.
accustomed to seeing women engaged
in. And when these activities are so
closely related to the home as Is the
food question, women are especially
we'll fitted by their training and eX-
perience to do this work.
1T is self-evident that women are go
ing to fill many positions that have
been filled by men in the past, and this
is one of the places where they can be
used effectively.
woman officials, with their under
standing and sympathy for home prob
lens, will inspire confidence in the
home woman and will encourage her to
cooperate with the government in this
emergency.
women as housekeepers must learn
to think Of food in carload lots. IN
transit. in storage. In the board OF
trade and in the national markets. as
well as in the small portions on the
family table.
To Concentrate on Food Problem.
by using women officials to aid In
this work, we will concentrate the at
tention Of all women on the larger
bearings of the food problem. We will
bring the home woman into closer CO.
operation with the government.
"Our higher educational institutions
have been turning out a large body Of
women who are trained to deal with
fundamentals from a scientific stand
L.
source OF service which we should not
waste at this time.
81 feel sure that these women will be
capable and faithful in doing this con-
vantage of the government to utilize
the services OF trained women In the
place where they would count the most
f9E sSXRsTg tss dSrifnE futura this present
Food. conservation on a national
scale is but the natural outgrowth Of
wonan's traditional work. Women in
the past have been concerned with the
immediate preparation Of food from one
meal to another; they must now con-
slider the food supply for the year.
'"They must be individually concerned
with the food supply for the whole
country. And now. as we face this in
ternational problem of feeding the peo-
of us.
1--WE know that with our unparalleled
resources and improved methods of
production there is no need that any
one should. go hungry. Women must
take an intelligent and responsible
share in the worlds work IL we are to
see that all the people are fed all the
time"
Poindexter Bill Favorably Reported.
I A bill by Senator Poindexter Of
Washington 20 punish storing of food
stuffs and other necessaries under PEN
alties of from six months to three
years Imprisonment, was favorably
reported today by the Senate judiciary
committee. 1t would penalize persons
who store, acquire, hold. destroy or
make away with" food. fuel and other
necessaries for the purpose of limiting
the public supply or enhancing market
prices.
The bill is distinct and has separate
status In the Senate from other food
legislation.
Representatives Of the country's milling
associations assured Herbert c. Hoover
today of their support for a government
food administration. They promised to
get behind food legislation pending in
Congress. but suggested minor changes In
its phraseology.
Women Invited to Give Aid