The Green Forest tribune., 1917-08-24

products and saving one pound of wheat flour, two ounces of fats, seven ounces of sugar and seven ounces of meat weekly, by each person. will, when we have multiplied this by one hundred million, have increased our exports to the amounts absolutely re- quired by our allies This means no more than that We should eat plenty, but eat wisely and without waste.
 Food conservation has other aspects of utmost importance. Wars must be paid for by savings. We must save in the consumption in commodities and the consumption of unproductive la- Dor in order that we may divert our manhood to the army and to the shops. If by the reduction in consumption of labor and the commodities that it pro- duces and the diversion of this saving to that labor and those commodities demanded by the war. we shall be able 9 fight to eternity. We can mortgage our future savings for a little while. but q piling up of mortgages is but a short step toward bankruptcy. Every atom that we save is available for sub. scrption to Liberty bonds.
 The whole of Europe has been en. gagged ever since the war began in the elimination of waste. the simpification of life, and the increase of it's indus trial capacity. When the war is over the consuming power of the world will be reduced by the loss of prosperity and man power, and we shall enter period of competition without parallel in ferOcity. After the war, We must maintain our foreign markets if ouT working people are to be employed We shall be in no position to compete ii we continue to live on the same basis of waste and eXtravagance on which we have lived hitherto. Simple | temperate living is q moral issue of tho | first order at any time, and any other basis of conduct during the war be comes a wrong against the interest of the country and the interest of democracy.
 The impact of the food shortage of Europe has knocked at every door of the United States during the past three | years. The prices of foOdstuffs have nearly doubled, and the reverberatiOns | of EurOpe'S increasing shortage would | have thundered twice as loudly dur ing the coming year even had we not entered the war, and it can now only l be mitigated if we can exert q strong control and this in many directions. We are today in az era of high prices. We must maintain prices at such d level as will stimulate produc- tion, for we are faced by starving world and the value of a commodity to the hungry is greater than it's price. AS a result of the world shortage of | supplies, our consumers have suffered from speculation and eXtortion. While wages for some kinds of labor have increased with the rise in food prices. in others it has been difficult to main tain our high standard of nutrition.
 By the elimination of waste in all classes, by the reduction in the con sumption of foodstuffs by the more for tunate. we shall increase our supplies not only for export but for home, and by increased supplies we can help in the ameloration of prices.
 For Better Distribution.
 Beyond this the duty has been laid upon the food administration to coop crate with the patriotic men in trades and commerce, that we may eliminate the evils which have grown into our system of distribution, that the bur ! den may fall equitably upon all by res toration, so far as may be, of the nor mal course of trade. It is the purpose of the food administration to use its utmost power and the utmost ability that patriotism can assemble to ameli- crate this situation to such q degree as may be possible.
 The food administration is assem- bling the best expert advice in the country on home economies, on food utilization, on trade practices and trade wastes, and on the conduct of public eating places and we shall out line from time to time detailed SuggeS- tions. which if honestly carried out by such individuals in the country, we be- 1 lieve will effect the result which we must attain We are asking every home. every public eating place and many trades, to sign q pledge card | to accept these directions, so far as | their circumstances permit, and we are ! organizing various instrumentalities to l ameliorate speculation. We are ask l ing the men of the country who are not actually engaged in the handling l of food to sign similar pledges that | they shall see to it, so far as they are able, that these directions are followed. We are asking all who wish us well l and who undertake our service to be- come actual members of the food ad- ministration. just as much volunteers | in national service as we ourselves are. so that thus the food administration may not be composed of small body of men in Washington and a small representation in each state. but may become a body of 50,0O0,000 people. devoted absolutely to the services of democracy. We hope to see the in- signia of membership in every patri- otic window in the country.
 Autocracy finds it's strength in It's ability to impose organization by force from the top. The essence of democracy consists in the application of the initiative in its own people. If individualiSm cannot be so organized as to defend itself. then democracy is faith which cannot stand. We are seeking to impose no organization from the top. We are asking the American people to organize from the bottom up, and this is the essence of democracy | itSaIP