The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-01
CONTROLLING NATIONS FOOD
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
By Frederic j. Haskin. Director
Washington, d. @.
LEAN Europe and Fat America.

tions; that all of the belligerents eX-
cept England are producing less than
before the war; that the united
States must sustain itself, its ten al
lies and the neutrals thru five year
struggle, and literally fatten the world
back to normal after it is over-these
are the premises of the new and dras-
tic system of food control now before
congress; these are the facts and sup
positions upon which the authors or
the measure proceeded.
America is the rich, the fat nation
of the earth. Her resources are not
only enormous, but they are develop
ed and developing, they are IN the
hands of a people who do things. The
countries of Europe were not fat be-
once a week and bought bundles of
twigs for fuel. Everyone practiced an
economy that would be considered
stinginess in this country.
Europe could not increase its pro-
duotion after the war began, because
its men were at the front and its agri
culture was already at a high point OF
efficiency. Imports were reduced by
the U-boats. Hence Europe is now
lean like q wolf after a hard winter.
And lean Europe is now fastened upon
the fat body of America like a hun
cry leech. There was talk before the
declaration of war of stopping food
exports. Now the word is that VIC
must feel our allies at any cost. And
our allies are starved. They must
not only be sustained, they must be
fattened. DR.. A. E. Taylor of the Uni
versity Of Pennsylvania was the in
formant of the committee of agricul-
ture on this point. He spent Ions
time in Germany and other parts of
Europe studying the methods of food
control and distribution
Practically speaking, the entire
population of Europe may be regard
ed as underfed," DR.. Taylor told tho
congressman. These people are now
below their ordinary consumption and
their ordinary bodily weight, and be-
low their desires.
1T is going to take two years to
repair the deficiencies of their body
tissues, their live stock and their
Switzerland are almost as bad as
those in Germany. 1t is prac-
tically impossible for them to produce
cattle, and the cattle they have are
emaciated to the last degree. :
The entire population is emaciated.
They have no future stocks of food.
There is no food in Europe except the
grain hid in the distant granaries of
Russia. 1t will take two bumper crops
in this country, added to all they could
produce this year and the next, :.
to place them where they were the
year before the war broke OUT
So America needs to realize that it
has taken in a great crowd of starV-
ing boarders. There are hundreds of
millions of people in Europe, whose
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
q a thrown Mt
garbage can uneaten in millions of
homes. Much of this wastage must
be saved. The looseness in our sys-
tenn of producing and distributing
food must be taken up like the slack
in a hungry mans belt. Secretary
Houston says we have wasted $780,
100000 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 philos
ophy of food control.
DR.. Taylor brought out the fact
that despite tremendous efforts to in
crease their planting areas. none of
the belligerent countries have equalled
their peace time production, except
England. England is now actually in
creasing her production of foodstuffs
by breaking up her game preserves
and parks-her heather-gr0wn grouse
moors and the uplands where tho
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.. Tay
Tor brought word that Germany is
really producing less than formerly,
that she has fed her population only
by saving a large part of the 80 per
cent of her food which she found that
she had been wasting.
The agricultural classes and the
wealthy are fairly well fed in Ger
many, according to DR.. Taylor, but the
100000 people of the industrial
classes are emaciated and suffering
from anaemia and malnutrition- This
is interesting to America, not only be-
cause we are trying to starve Germany
now, but because when we get done
trying to starve her, we will have to
fatten her again, along with the rest
of Europe. The experts predict that
food shortage and high food prices will
prevail in this country for two years
after the war, when all Europe will be
drawing on America to replace its lost
fat.
Neither Italy nor France has been
able to produce as much since the war
began as before They have been
dependent upon imports and the u
boats are now cutting down the i'm
ports.
1t is supposed, according to DR.. Tay-
lor, on the basis of the crops, with
the rate of import that held before the
first of January that England, France
and Italy will be able to pull thru un-
til they harvest their next crops, with
close figuring. but without luxuries.
Every grain-laden ship that the u
boats sink will make the figuring
still closer.
81 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 a peo-
pie may be-"
Officialdom seems to agree that we
must be prepared to face a war of
from three to five years. 1t is known
that the military authorities are bas-
ing all of their estimates upon the as
sumption that the war will last for
three years. Before the committee of
agriculture. five years was stated with