The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-08-11
To Stabilize and Not
Disturb Conditions Is
Purpose of Food Law

government supervision and a provi-
sion added as an amendment extends
an even more drastic government con-
troll over coal and other fuels, in
GLIDING the power to fix prices and
authorizing the government operation
of mines. The survey bill is intended
to encourage production and gives the
government authority to keep up d
continuous census of the amount of
foodstuffs in the United States. 1t will
be administered by the department of
agriculture
ALL IN READINESS
Both the food administra ton and
the agriculture department have been
ready since long before the bills were
passed to go ahead with the work
The food administration has assem- bled
a staff and already is enlisting the
country's women in household saving
campaign. Meanwhile the federal trade
commission. authorized sometime ago
to conduct an investigation into food
prices with special reference to anti
trust law violations, is gathering in
formation which it will turn over
to the two agencies and to the de-
partment Of Justice.
FIRST MOVE
The first move of the food admin
istration will be to bring about
wheat and in the manufacture and
sale of flour and bread. 1t will take
up next the production of meat and
dairy foods. The trade commission
has investigators now in the flour
mills and in the meat packing houses.
In his statement tonight Mr.. Hoover
emphasizes the obligation the United
States owes to it's allies in supplying
an abundance of food and urges re-
duced consumption by the American
people.
I'VE have in our abundance and in
our waste he says, IAN ample sup
ply to carry them and ourselves over
this next winter without suffering. If
we fail it is because individual Amer
lean citizens have failed to see and do
this loyal national duty. We shall in
wife all classes and all trades to sign
a volunteer pledge to cooperate with
us in the undertaking and so become
as much members of the food adj
ministration as we ourselves are
HOOVER'S STATEMENT
Herbert Hoover's statement outIin-
ing the governments purposes in ad :
ministering the new food legislation
follows:
THE hopes of the food administra-
ton are threefold. First. to so guide
the trade in the fundamental food
commodities as to eliminate vicious
speculation extortion and wasteful
practices and to stabilize prices in the
essential staples. Second, to guard our
exports so that against the worlds
shortage we retain sufficient supplies
for our own people and to CO. operate
with the allies to prevent initiation of
prices and third. that we stimulate
in every manner within our power the
saving of our food in order that We
may increase exports to our allies to
a point which will enable them to
properly provision their armies and to
feed their peoples during the coming
winter.
TO STABALIZE CONDITIONS
"The food administration is called
into being to stabilize and not to dis
turb conditions and to defend honest
enterprise against illegitimate compe-
tition. 1t has been devised to correct
the abnormalities and abuses that have
crept into trade by reason of the world
disturbance and to restore business as
far as may be to a reasonable basis.
"The business men of this country
/ am convinced. as result of many
hundreds of conferences with repre-
sentatives of the great forces of food
supply, realize their own patriotic OBJ
legation and the solemnity of the sit
uation, and will fairly and generous
ly cooperate in meeting the national
emergency, | do not believe that
drastic force need be applied to main
tain economic distribution and use of
supplies by the great majority OF
American people. and / have learned
a deep and abiding faith in the in
telligence of the average American
business man whose aid we anticipate
and depend on to remedy the evils
developed by the war which he adj
mits and deplores as deeply as our
selves. But IL there be those who ex
pect to exploit this hour of sacrifice
If there are men or ORGANIZATIONS
scheming to increase the trials OF this
country, we shall not hesitate to APP
ply to the full the drastic. coercive
powers that Congress has conferred
upon us in this instrument.
I'm enforcing the measures of the
act 1t is not our intention to pro-