The courier-index., 1917-08-24
HOOVER TELLS OF
 FOOD SITUATION
Administrator Issues Message
 on Conservation.
IS GREAT PROBLEM OF WAR
America's Production and Needs of the Allied Nations Set Forth-What We Must Do to Keep Wolf
 From the Door.


 Washington, Aug. 20.-Herbert c. Hoover, United States food admins trator, today issued to the American public his statement covering the food situation as it now exists and the ne- cessity of conserving the food re- sources of the nation to provide for the future during the continuance of the war. The statement follows:
 Food is always more or less of a problem in every phase of Its produc- ton, handling and consumption. It Is . problem with every farmer, every transporter and seller. every house. hslder. It is a problem with every town, state and nation. And now, very censpicuously, it is problem with three great groups of nations, namely, the allies, the central empires and the neutrals; in word 1t is great inter- national problem.
 The food problem today of our own nation, therefore has as its most con- spicuous phase an international charac- ter. 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 the war industries, and finally for the maintenance of the women and chil- dren in the home, Is an absolute ne cessity, second to no other, for the successful prosecution Of the war for liberty. In the providing of this food for the great allied food pool. the Unit cd 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 rauon 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 CT than ever, with the consequence of a large increase in the food quantities imperatively needed from the United States if the allied armies are to be able to "carry on."
 Worlds Larder Examined.
 This is a general statement of con- dition 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- timated. This estimate shows at once that it contains too little for our own and our allies use unless we all ad- minister the supply with the greatest care and wisdom. The allied peoples are energetically undertaking this ad- ministration. It 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 food. A certain definitely determina- ble part of that food must come from us. Let us then examine carefully the worlds larder as it appears today, or Sc much of 1t as is at our disposal.
 propose to review the situation first, as regards the cereals, second. as regards food animals and their prod ucts, third, as regards sugar, fourth, as regards vegetables. fifth, as regards fish and sea foods, and, finally, as re- gards our duty in the matter.
 Cereals.
 The 1917 harvest is now so far ad- vanced that we may compare 1t 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
 It will be seen from this table that the normal imports of wheat are 3S1,- 100000 bushels and of other cereals 245,000,000 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- mai pro. in prod'n.