South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-04-14
Food Situation Discussed
By Local Business Men

The food situation. how il will
affect South Bend. and what meas
ures can be taken to ameliOrate the
conditions now deemed inevitable
because of a threatened shortage
these questions were given thorough
consideration by representative bust
ness and professional men of the city
Friday.
The luncheon az which the men
gathered at the Diver hotel was itself
taken as an object lesson, one of the
lessons which it was agreed must be
borne in upon the public at large.
The reduction of present extravagant
portions and the consequent elimina-
ton of much waste is one way in
which housewives will be expected
to cooperate.
As a result of the discussion the
Chamber Of Commerce will name P
committee to cooperate with the
directors Of the vacant lot garden
movement. The cooperation likely
will include the perfection of credit
arrangements by which blowing,
seeding and the necessary fertiliz-
Ailh may NC ebt1oAAA bAAoAANh ny AAAWot
who need the extension of credit. l..
=. Hardy. chairman Of the Cham
ber's agriculture committee and
William Happ. chairman Of the
civic committee will appoint the CO.
operating body.
Plan Cooperation.
IL is planned 10 work out a def
mate program Of cooperation which
will be referred back to the Cham
Der for ratification. F. Il. Barnes and
f. r. Wolfe OF the recreation depart
ment under whose supervision the
gardening is being done represented
that department at the meeting
Friday.
The discussion brought out two
things of importance regarding the
gardening work as il may affect the
food situation next fall. With proper
attention a goodly number of famil-
les will be well stocked with staples
which would command high prices
in the market and in addition 10
this the moral effect Of this inten-
sive gardening will be a salutary
check on waste and an encourage
ment 70 strict economy to conserve
the available food supply This lat
ter effect was considered to be of
as much Importance as the former.
Gardening. both in the back yard
and in vacant lots, is going 10 be dis
tinctly in vogue in South Bend this
spring. That much. also was made
plain at the meeting. The president
Of the Chamber Of Commerce is
cultivating a vacant lot garden, an
| officer OF one OF the city's thriving
manufacturing concerns promises TO
pillow up his tennis court and plant
potatoes. the city is considering the
! advisa bility OF turning one OF its
newly developed parks-Studebaker
into a potato patch for the sea
son. the country club Will cultivate
part OF its ground and the number
/ OF applicants for vacant lot gardens
| exceeds by many hundreds that OF
previous years.
+. r Wolfe. who has been in
| charge Of the school and vacant lot
| gardens for the past two years. out
lined the plan by which interest in
the gardening project is being arous-
I ed. the plots assigned 10 applicants
and the gardening supervised. The
| discussion following his talk was en-
tered into with spirit by practically
every one OF the men present.
: Wants Water Furnished.
Q. Q. Hanch, treasurer OF the
Studebaker corporation. urged Mayor
Keller 20 determine whether the city
could not devise a way 70 furnish
water for the gardens where city
water is accessible but not obtainable
because there are no taps. Adjoin-
ing hydrants at present may not he
used under present rules imposed by
the state board OF accounts.
Frank r. Herring. on behalf Of a
donor whom he did not name. offer
ed vacant lots totalling 10 acres tc
the garden directors and also plac.