Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1917-08-09
FOOD CONSERVATION
And FIRE WASTE
What The Preservation Oi
Food Supplies Means
to The ]. s.

Coast, will note young men clad in the
now familiar khaki uniform, with
rifles over their shoulders, watching the
approaches to every bridge and tunnel
of any importance or strategical value.
These troops are on duty day and night
for the purpose Of safeguarding the
Nations railway communications, 80
important in the present crisis. The
same precaution will also be seen at
all prominent shipbuilding and manu-
factr ring plants which are working in
the interests of the United States. All
of these steps are taken to prevent
any interruption in the campaign OF
preparedness in which the country 10
engaged in the meeting the stern issues
Of the war.
.. The guarding of these various prem
ises has been brought about through
the National Board Of Defense, which
has also under consideration the thor
ough extension Of this system Of pro-
lection to all warehouses and other
depots where the food supplies of the
country are kept in storage. Many
Of these warehouses, however, psrticu-
larly in the States Of Washington, Orc
gon and Idaho, are situated at isolated
points, and az the National Board and
various State Councils of Defense can
not perfect plans for the guarding OF
these premises, it becomes the patriotic
duty of every American citizen to lend
his aid and to do his btu towards
rendering the food supplies in his
nsighborhood immune from danger.
Fire Waste and Food Supplies.
One of the great problems presented
10 the Board Of National Defense In
the care and preservation Of the food
supplies of the United states is the
fact that the are waste of this country
10 80 greatly in excess Of that of any
other nation. Statistics covering a 20
year period conclusively show that the
per capita fire cost in the United
States 10 over seven times that OF the
nation with which we are at present
engaged in war, and that to every man,
woman and child in this country there
10 a tax of x2.5l each wear az compared
with per capita cost of only 80 cents
in Germany. The statement has been
made, and it remains incapable Of sue
eessful contradict ion, that if the same
wastage BY Are existed in Germany as
in this country. the consequent loss and
destruction Of food supplies would have
been so great that Germany long since
would have besn compelled to sue for
peace.
With this fact before as, it is easy
to realize that unless we change our
methods and overcome our habits of
carelessness this great Nation faces
the serious danger of defeat through .
fault which common sense and caution
on the part of each individual citizen
could easily prevent.
Pacific Coast Especially Favored.
Nature has been peculiarly kind to
those who reside on this Coast. We
have few adverse weather conditions
to contend with, and all our people live
under such comparatively easy and ia
vorabIe surroundings as to beget habits
of carelessness and indifference towards
the ordinary hazards Of fire Under
normal conditions these habits might
he fraught with danger easily ignored
and with few results of vital signif.
ranee. but in the present crisis and
need for the preservation of all food
supplies, these same habits of careless
ness and indifference can quickly as
sumo the Importance of National
catastrophe.
That Federal and state officials are
beginning to reslize the magnitude of
this danger is evidenced by the fact
that in many Of the States special
course Of education is being given to
the school children by hrs prevention
experts, who point out the dangers re-
sulting from the careless handling OF
matches, the accumulation of litter and
rubbish in Easements, woodhonses, at.
ties and storerooms, lack of care in the
use Of coal oil aud gasoline, the hang
ing Of electric cords over nails, and
the numerous other habits OF careless.
ness that almost universally prevail in
every household Even one of the
school .uperiutendents had the need of
cleanliness forcibly brought to his at
tention by his Young daughters who
had listened to lecture on fire pre-
vention at the afternoon session of the
their basement and stood watch over
him while ne cleaned up the rubbish
which he had csrelessiy allowed to ac
emulate. while perfect wave oil
chimney cleaning swept over one of the
cities of the State caused by state
mont to the school children that theil
''houses were in danger of catching
Gre il the chimneys had not beer
cleaned within year.
The Farmers Responsibility.
Above practically all other oecups
lions, the ewes of the Nation turn 70
ward. the farmer, the great produce
of fool supplies. and to the farmer an,
fruit grower the necessity is urgen
of using every means 10 protect an,
preserve their products. II is a seriou
r,;sfartuns from the uerSonaI mint a