The Carlisle independent., 1917-08-23

ous elements of the population can by reduction 10 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 unprOductiye la- Dor in order that we may divert our manhood to the army and to the shops.
 If by the reduction in consumption of labor and the commodities that 1t pro- duces and the diversion of this saving
 to that labor and those commodities demanded by the war, we shall be able
 to fight to eternity. We can mortgage
 our future savings for little while,
 but piling up of mortgages is but short step toward bankruptcy. Every atom that we save is available for sub- scription to Liberty bonds.
 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. | We shall be in no position to compete | if we continue to live on the same | basis of waste and extravagance on which we have lived hitherto. Simple, temperate living is moral issue of the first order at any time, and any other basis of conduct during the war be. comes wrong against the interest oi the country and the interest of democracy.
 The impact of the food shortage 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 thundered twice as loudly dur l ing the coming year even had we not entered the war, and it can now only be mitigated if we can exert a strong 1 control and this in many directions. We are today in an era of high l prices. We must maintain prices at
 such a level as will stimulate produc-
 tion, for we are faced by a starving
 world and the value of a commodity to
 the hungry is greater than it's price. AS 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, 1t has been difficult to main-
 tain our high standard of nutrition. By the elimination of waste ia 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 1 upon the food administration to coop l crate with the patriotic men in trades l and commerce, that we may eliminate
 the evils which have grown into our system of distribution, that the bur- l den may fall equitably upon all by res- l toration, so far as may be, of the nor-
 nal course of trade. It is the purpose
 of the food administration to use its l utmost power and the utmost ability that patriotism can assemble to amei- i crate this situation to such degree as
 may be possible.
 The food administration is assem- | bling the best expert advice in the l country on home economies, on food utilization, on trade practices and
 trade wastes, and on the conduct of l public eating places. and we shall out 1 line from time to time detailed sugges- | tions, which if honestly carried out by 1 such individuals in the country, we be- i lieve will effect the result which we must attain. We are asking every | home, every public eating place and
 many trades, to sign a pledge card to accept these directions. so far as l 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.
 We are asking all who wish us well
 and who undertake our service to be- come actual members of the food ad-
 ministration, just as much volunteers l in national service as we ourselves are,
 so that thus the food administration 1 may not be composed of small body