Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-22
Cause of High Prices.

This competitive buying among the
allies and the different departments in
the allied governments has been to a
considerable degree responsible for the
high prices which American consumers
today have to pay for their foodstuffs.
Another important function of the
board would be to determine the allo-
cation of food supplies among the diff
ferent allies and formulate their re-
quirements for considerable period
ahead. 1t is not proposed that this
board shall have any functions inside
the territory of any of the allies, but it
is to be a bridge representing food con-
troll of each allied country for co-opera-
tive purposes. AS America is wholly
an exporter of food, our hopes of the
American people are that they may
place at the disposition of the inter-
allied board as large quantities of our
necessary staples as possible. and it is
our hope by cooperation that we shall
be able to stem the rising tide in the
cost of living in America as well as
Europe, and thus ameliorate the con-
dition of the civil population in all the
allied countries.
Restraint on Consumption.
Baron Davenport said the require
ments of the allied countries from
America should be limited to the lowest
health and tranquility could be main
tanned. and that every legitimate re-
straint should be placed upon food con-
sumption and extravaganza in all allied
countries. The gravity OF the situa-
ton and the control established. said
the baron. had long since done away
with certain conditions which were so
prominent in England and others of the
allied countries duMngs she<Eeafly
months of the war. s1s
The commodities needed by the allies
from America" he continued. could be
reduced to a few central staples. Our
people have been trained only to eat
wheat bread, although we are now mix
ing from 20 to 25 per cent of maize
meal. rice and other cereals with flour.
the continent have equipment for max
ing maize bread, nor do they UNDER
stand its value. The American people
have long since recognized the supe-
rior value of maize as human food. 1t
will take months to get our people
trained to il and in the meantime we
have got TO have bread. Therefore
from now on until the harvest next
August at least. we must have wheat
and we can use some maize.
Meat Must Be Imported.
I'VE must import some meat for our
soldiers at the front and minor
amount for our civilian population. Eu-
rope has depended for many years upon
America for pork products. and the
consumption of bacon has gone up i'm
mensely, due to our large armies in the
field.
Curious as it may seem to Ameri-
cans. our people have only lately begun
generally to recognize the superior
value of beans for human food. There is
tan of n % N
England today. and yet the food value
of beans is greater than that of any
other cereal which we can import. From
all this you will see that we can reduce
the commodities which we shall want
for human food down to few simple
staples. We want wheat. we want
some maize; we want moderate
amount of meat. and we want pork
products. Beyond this. of course, we
must have fodder for our animals and
our army horses. for which we shall
need more maize and oats.
Praises Mr.. Hoover.
TT is not the usual thing for one
nation to comment upon appointments
of another to official positions, but no
one will resent statement from me as
to the satisfaction which we feel, and
which we know the American people
must leel, at tne present selection of
MIR. Hoover 10 advise on food matters
He is the longest-eStablished food con-
troller in Europe. The Belgian prob
lem has been more difficult than any al
lied problem. for he has had to feed TO-
100000 and maintain public health with
less material at his disposal than any
controller. He has had two years more
experience at it than any other, and he
has carried the problem through a
thousand difficulties with success and
with the esteem of the whole Of Eu-
rope"