The Weston leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 189?-1946, 1917-08-03
FOOD CONSERVATION
AND FIRE WASTE
What The Preservation Of
Food Supplies Means
to The !. S.

eeffauoh WHO Uafeh ~ tho pInhfhl
time over any peFtlon Of the Pacific
Coast, viii note young men clad In ihs
now familiar khaki uniform, with
rifles over their shoulders, watching tbs
approaches 10 every bridge and tunnel
of any Importance or StraieRiral value.
These troops are on duty day and night
fcr the purpose Of safeguarding the
Nation = railway communications, 80
important In the pFeseht crisis The
sane preeaution will Also bs seen NJ
sll pTeminen, shipbnildihs and mann.
featuring plants which arc working In
the interests Of the uniiel States, Al
of these steps are taken 10 prevent
any interruption In the campaign Of
preparedness In which the countfy u
engaged In the meeting the stern issues
Of the war.
Tho guarding Of these various prem
isss has been brought about through
the National Board % Defense, which
has also undaF consideration tho thor
ough extension Of this system Of pro
lection 20 all warehouses and other
depots whore the food supplies Of the
eouhtTy are kept 10 storage. Many
Of these warehouses, however, parsieu'
larry In the States Of Washington. Ore
Eon and Idaho. arc situated At isolated
points. and az tho National board and
various State Counciln Of Defense can.
no, perfect plans for the guarding Of
these premiaes, II becomes tho patriotic
duty ef every American citizen 10 lend
his aid and TO do hts Bit" towards
rendering the food supplies Ia his
nsighborhood immune from danger,
Fire waste and Food Supplies.
One Of tho great problems presented
10 the Board Of National Defense in
the care and preservation Of the food
supplies cf the United States IL the
far, that the Ore waste Of this country
Ia 30 greatly in excess Of that Of any
ether nation, Statistics covering = 90
ynar peFioa ecneluslycly show that the
per capita GFc cost In the United
States 10 over seven times that Of the
nation with which We are al present
engaged in war, and that to every man,
woman and child In this country there
10 . tax Of ts.si each year as compared
with per capita coat Of only s5 cents
In Germany. The statement has been
made, and Il remains incapable Of sue.
esesfni contradiction, that II tho same
wastage By Are existed In Germany as
in this eountry, the consequent loss and
destruction ef food supplies would have
been 40 great that Germany long since
would have been compelled 10 uue for
peace,
With this fact before W, n IL easy
70 realize that unless wc change our
methods and overcome our habits Of
earclessncss this great Nation faces
the serious danger of defeat through q
fault which common HeaHr and caution
on the part of each individual citizen
could easily prevcnt,
Pacific Coast Especially Favored.
Nature has been peculiarly kind 10
those who reside on this Coast. We
have few adverse weather conditions
10 contend with, md all our people live
under such comparatively easy and IA
vorable surroundings as to hcgot habits
Of carclcssness and indifference towards
tho ordinary hazards of fire. Under
normal conditions these habits might
he frnught with danger easily ignored
and with few results Of vital aignih
cancc, but in the present crisis and
need for the preservation Of all food
supplies, these same habits Of careless
ness and indifference can quickly as
sumo tho Importance of National
catastrophe,
That Federal and State officials are
beginning TO realize the magnitude OF
this danger Il evidenced by the fact
that In many Of the States special
sourse Of education Is being given 10
ihe school children by fire prevention
experts, who point out the dangers re.
,ulting from the careless handling Of
matches, the accumulation of litter and ,
rubbish In Easements, woodhouses, at /,
.Ies and storerooms, lack Of care in-the ,
ise Of coal oil and gasoline, the hang
nq Of electric cords over nails, and
he numerous other habits Of carelcss-
,ess that almost universally prevail in !
very household. Even one of tho !
ehooi supcrintcndents had the need OF l
forcibly brought to his at. !,
ention by his young daughters who !.
lad listened TO lecture on FIRE pre-. 4
,entiou at the afternoon session Of the !.
chool and who took him down into l
heir basement and stood watch over :
Inn while he cleaned up the rubbish !,
yhich he had carelossly allowed to ac. :
while perfect wave Of !,
Kinney cleaning swept over one Of the .
ities Of the state caused by n state !,
ncnt 10 tho school children that their
houses we're In danger of catching "
ire II the chimneys had not been y y
leaned within a year
The Farmers Responsibility. p
Above practically all other oceupa.
ions, the eyes Of the Nation turn TO- ~
iards the farmer, the great producer o
Z food supplies, snd to the taf~as and v