Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-06-07
FOOD PROBLEM IS
MOST DIFFICULT
ONE TO Be SOLVED
Both President and Hoover
Warn Of Danger of Raid
On Markets
ALLIES DEMANDS MAY
KEEP PRICES CLIMBING
Must Protect Americans
While Sending All Possible
Surplus to Them
By Robert j. Bender.

(Unlted Press staff correspondent.)
Washington, June 7.---Congress must
protect the American food supply from
her allies.
With this warning from both Presi-
dent Wilson and Herbert Hoover, new
food administrator, leaders of both par
ties turned to the food problem again
today as the most pressing difficulty
ahead of the nation.
England IS clamors for more food are
growing louder while the prices in this
country climb higher and the laboring
man IS demands for governmental ac-
tion to reduce the high cost of food
stuffs becomes more insistent
President Wilson has told republicans
and democrats that ample powers must
be given the food control department
or the allies will be coming to this coun-
try, bidding for American food and
hoisting prices out of sight.
Hoover says adequate machinery
must be set up at once to see that Amer
lean markets aren't raided and prices
forced to a point of embarrassment to
the American people.
Hoover States Position.
g We must,p he said, 'fproteet our
selves from our allies in order to pros
tect our own people, and at the same
time deal all justice by the allies and
all the service for them that we can.
Both the president and Hoover insist
the power of absolute requisition must
be behind the food department.
Pressing demands for the allies for
everything the United States can furn-
ish, coupled with urgent appeals from
the people of this country for action
on the food question, is squirting action
on the bill. Already, for the sake of
speed, the house agricultural committee
has struck out of its bill certain feat
ures that would stimulate long debate
on the measure-authority to fix maxi
mum prices and to standardize certain
foodstuffs.
Hoover himself would not attempt to
do any price fixing except as last re-
sort to preserve the country's food sup
ply. He believes, however, minimum
prices might serve to stimulate produc-
tion and authority to fix minimum
prices will pe left in the measure when
it is reported out of committee to the
floor of the house early next week.
Conditions Cause Unrest.
Under pressure from the administra-
ton the committee is sitting almost con
stantly in an effort to finish work on
the bill
1t will be reported out almost unani-
Already unrest at the food situation
is beginning to be felt in congress
Senators and representatives are receiv-
ing thousands of complaints from work
ing men stating that their salaries are
less than one-third as rapid
" as the prices in necessaries. The gov
ernment, it is declared, is making
greater demands upon them.
"Let the government see that food IS
put under control, " is the tenor of let
ters.
At the same time the allies are becom-
ing somewhat restive over delay in con
gress to get the food control department
into action. Speeches in parliament IN
dicate that England will count heavily
On exports from this country, but these
cannot be available until the control de-
partment has been set up and machinery
provided for conserving the food sup
ply here and at the same time arrang
ing for bounteous help for the allies