Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1917-08-29
HOOVER TELLS AMERICAN PEOPLE OF
THE FOOD PROBLEM AND ITS SOLUTION
Shows Absolute Necessity of Increased Production and Elimination
of Waste, Backing Up His Statements With Facts and
Figures of the Supply and Demand.

| shorten their consumption. This oper-
alton of normal economic forces"
| would starve that element of the COM
munity to whom we owe the most pro-
| lection. We must try to impose the
burden equally upon all.
Action Must Be Voluntary.
There is no royal road to food con-
| servatiOn. We can only accomplish
| this by the voluntary action of our
| whole people, each element in proper
| equality of burden; a matter of min
| ute saving and substitution at every
| point in the 100000 kitchens, on the
| 100000 dinner tables and in the
| 100000 manufacturing, wholesale and
| retail establishments of the country.
| The task is thus in it's essence the daily
| individual service of all the people.
Every group can substitute and even
the great majority Of thrifty people
| can save a little-and the more luxuri-
| Gus elements of the population can by
| reduction to simple living save much.
| The final result of substituting other
| 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 Ia
| Dor in order that we may divert our
| manhood to the army and to the shops.
The whole of Europe has been en-
! gagged ever since the war began in the
| elimination of waste, the simplificatiOn
| 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 a
| period of competition without parallel
| in ferocity. After the war, we must
maintain our foreign markets if our
working people are to be employed.
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 Numbered twice as loudly dur
| ing the coming year even had we not
| entered the war, and it can now only
| be mitigated if we can exert a strong
control and this in many directions.
We are today in an era of high
| prices. We must maintain prices at
such level as will stimulate produc-
| ton, for we are faced by q starving
world and the value of a commodity to
| the hungry is greater than its 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 amelioration 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
NAL course of trade. 1t is the purpose
of the food administration to use it's
utmost power and the utmost ability
that patriotism can assemble to ameli-
crate this situation to such a degree as
may be possible.
The food administration is assem-
bling the best expert advice in the
country on home economics, 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-
tons, which if honestly carried out by
such individuals in the country, we be-
lieve will effect the result which we
must attain. We are asking every
home, every public eating place and
many trades, to sign pledge card
to accept these directions, so far as
their circumstances permit, and we are
organizing various instrumentalities to
ameliorate speculation. We are ask
ing the men of the country who are
not actually engaged in the handling
of food to sign similar pledges that
they shall see to it, so far as they are
able, that these directions are followed
less. The brain of the elephant is held
to be more highly developed than that
of any other wild animal; but, of