Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-06-01
Controlling the Nations Food
Lean Europe--Fat America
-, BIZ Frederic j. Hasktn

Washington, May 29.-That all the peoples of
Europe neutral and belligerent, are lean from
short ratons; that all Of the belligerents except
England are producing less than before the war;
that the United States must sustain itself, its ten
allies and the neutrals through hve-year strug-
gle, and literally fatten the world back to normal
after it is over-these are the premises Of the
new and drastic system Of food control now be-
fore congress- these are the facts and suggestions
upon which the authors OF the measure proceeded.
America is the rich, the fat nation OF the earth.
Its resources are not only enormous but they are
developed and developing; they are in the hands
of people who do things. The countries Of
Europe were not fat before the war. The poor
ate meat but once week and bought bundles of
twigs for fuel Everyone practiced an economy
that would be considered stnginess in this
country.
Europe could not increase its production after
the war began, because Its men were at the front
and its agriculture was already at a high point Of
efficiency Imports were reduced by the U-boats.
Hence Europe is now lean like wolf after hard
winter. There was talk before the declaration of
war OF stopping food exports. Now the word is
that we must feed our allies at any cost. And our
allies are starved. They must not only be sus-
tanned, they must be fattened. DR.. A. E. Tay-
lor OF the University of Pennsylvania was the
informant of the committee Of agriculture on this
point. He spent long time in Germany and
other parts of Europe studying the methods Of
food control and distribution.
So America needs to realize that 1t has taken
in great crowd Of starving boarders. There
are hundreds Of millions of people in Europe,
whose bodies are wasted, who must replace their
burned-out tissues by means of food produced
in America And America has been wasting food,
Food has been rotting on the ground in this
country for lack of transportation it has been lost
and ruined on the farm and on the road, and
thrown into the garbage can uneaten in millions
Of homes. Much of this wastage must be saved.
The looseness in our system OF producing and dis
tributing food must be taken up like the slack in
hungry mans belt. Secretary Houston says we
have wasted $700,00O000 worth of food every year.
The greater part OF that loss must be eliminated
If we are to fatten half billion lean people and
have anything left for ourselves That is the phi
losophy Of food control.
DR.. Taylor brought out the fact that despite
tremendous efforts to increase. their planting
areas none OF the belligerent countries have
equaled their peace-tme production, except Eng
land. England is now actually increasing its pro-
duction OF foodstuffs by breaking up its game pre-
and the uplands where the red deer are hunted,
and planting them with grain and potatoes. In
the other countries there are no such surplus
lands to be planted DR.. Taylor brought word
that Germany is really producing less than for
mery; that it has fed its population only by saw.
which it found that it had been wasting
The agricultural classes and the wealthy are
fairly well fed in Germany, according to DR..
Taylor, but the 100000 people of the Industrial
classes are emacated and suffering from anaemia
and malnutrtion. This is interesting to America,
because we will have to fatten that country along
with the rest of Europe. Neither Italy nor
France has been able to produce as much since
the war began as before. They have been de-
pendent upon imports and the U-boats are now
cutting down the imports.
II think the truth is" DR.. Taylor told the
congressman, that before England Italy and
France get their new crops harvested they will
be about as close to starvation as people
may be-" IA GE
aOfficiadom seems to agree that we must be
prepared to face war Of from three to FIVE years.
II is known that the military authorities are bas-
ing all their estimates upon the assumption that
the, war will last for three years. Before the
committee of agriculture five years was stated
with general assent as the duration of the food
shortage for which the United States must pre-
pare. Five years Of scarcity and high prices are
the cost which America as whole must pay for
this war. Likewise, if excitement and fear can
only be allayed the lesson of these FIVE lean years
will be most valuable one. America the spend
thrift will learn the value of food. American
housekeepers will learn how to save food that
they have been throwing away. They will learn
how to cook foods that they never used before.
They will learn to keep foods and preserve them.
Food that has:rotted on farms and in freight ter
mnals will be saved. Speculation in foods will
be eliminated. And it is unthnkable that the
repeal Of war legislation shall be allowed to
undo the good that may have been accomplished
in this line. During the next FIVE years the
basis for lower cost of living-a knowledge Of
the Use and eronor1v of foods