Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-08-30
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. 2O.-Herbert c.
Hoover. United States food admins
srator, today issued to the American
public his statement covering the food
situation as it now exists and the ne
eessity of conserving the food re-
sources of the nation to provide for
abe future during the continuance of
the war. The statement follows:
Teod is always more or less of a
Droblem in every phase of it's produc-
aton, handling and consumption 1t is
y problem with every farmer, every
transporter and seller, every house
holder. 1t is problem with every
iowa, state and nation And now, very
eonspicuously. it is a problem with
ahree great groups of nations, namely,
che allies, the central empires and the
2eutrals; in word it is great inter-
national problem.
The food problem today of our own
nation, therefore has as its most con-
spicuous phase an international charac-
Ger. 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
Abe war industries, and finally for the
maintenance of the women and chill
<sren in the home, is an absolute ne
9eSSity, second to no other, for the
successful prosecution of the war for
liberty. In the providing of this food
Tor the great allied food pool, the Unit
sd 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 a marked lessening of food
production, and the present necessity
of 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 in the food quantities
4mperatively needed from the United
States if the allied armies are to be
able to carry on"
WarId's Larder Examined
This is a general statement of a con-
saftion which only needs to be elabor-
ated in detail to show just what we
have 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
OF that part of the worlds larder on
which we and the allies can draw for
the next twelve months can now be es-
simated. This estimate shows at once
ehat it contains too little for our own
and our allies use unless we all adj
minister the supply with the greatest
~are and wisdom. The allied peoples
are energetically undertaking this ad-
minfstration- 1t lies now with us to
do our part If we fail. the people of
the allies cannot be maintained at war
Their soldiers cannot fight without
Mood certain definitely determina-
BILE part of that food must come from
Us. Let us then examine carefully the
worlds larder as it appears today, or
SO much of it as is at our disposal.
! propose to review the situation
ArSt, as regards the cereals, second, as
regards food animals and their prod
uctS, third. as regards sugar, fourth
as regards vegetables fifth, as regards
Ash and sea foods. and, finally, as re-
CARDS our duty in the matter.
Cereals.
Inc 1917 harvest is now so far adj
ssnced that we may compare it with
previous production. and with the de-
mands which are going to be made on
It
Table No. 1 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
1t will be seen from this table that
The normal imports of wheat are $751;
100000 bushels and of other cereals |
s45, 600. 900 bushels. The estimate of |
the 1917 harvest in the allied countries |
based upon crop reports from these
countries, is as follows:
Probable Av- nor Deficiency
Com 1917 pro- NAL pro- in prod'n.
Moolty- ducuon- ouctlon- due to war. |
~ heat ---Se3, 10000 5So6so,ooo 1876. COS 600 |
corn 49, 81, 464,cco 5000 26. 5000 |