Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-19
|00D PROBLEM MORE
SERIOUS THAN THOUGHT
allure Of Crops in Allied Countries
Puts Responsibility on
United States.
IoovER SENDS STATEMENT
|'rttcs Colonel White, Urging Re-
doubled Efforts at Conservation.
rood Takes Dominant Position in
Winning OF the War.


Colonel L. b. White. Federal food
administrator for Virginia. received
esterday the following communication
ON Federal Food Administrators
oover.
To Members Of the United States Food
Administration:
INC food situation in Europe is far
ravtr than when the preliminary sur
cy or the food supply OF tho world for
MS year was made. VIC have an abuud-
nee Tor ourselves, and il is the firm
o,icy Of the food administration. b.
nc prevention OF exports. TO retain
pr our people ample supply OF
very essential foodstun. The harvcsts
our allies have proved less than we
al contemplated. and the great cur
aiimcnt Of shipping By tho submnrln
uring the last few months has fur
her prevented them from access 10
'oFc remote markets Beyond the de-
lhnds o! tho allies there is a call upon
b. the friendly neutrais for food
unpiies. and IL VIC cannot at least in
art respond 10 these neutral calls.
tarvation on AN unparalleled scale
nust enaue
Food has now taken dominant po-
ition In the war, and VIC must ask the
american people to sacrifice far more
nan was at FIRST thought necessary.
PC nave exported the whole OF the
urplus OF the wheat from this harvest
iter rescrving to ourselves an amount
ufhc'cnt for our normal consumption
' seed and -four until the next harvest
nj. therefore, the amount OF wheat
iou! that the United States can con-
rioutc to mix with the war bread OF
HuF allies during this winter vii! be
imply the amount that our people re-
uce their consumption month by
month In other words every grain
Pr wheat or it's products tina, the allie.
-eccire from the United states from
10" on Will he exactly tho amount
which our people have saved each
month on their behalf
ItSk MORE FATS
THAN WE CAN SUPPLY
The allies to-day ask Tor % PC.
I ,cnt more meat and fats tpork. dairy
products and vegetable oils) than We
consider our monthly production ncr-
pitts VIZ 20 send them without trench
nE on our own supplies. or. on the
3othcr hand. unlcss We can consume less
Que TO the shortage in shipping. our
available sugar supplies mus, bc less
Than normal from the prcscn, time
forward
Thus avery particle OF diminished
consumption by the American people is
|onr particle moro for the soldier men
women and children o! our allies and
FOR the starving people In other coun-
fries This is personal Utilization
upon every ono of us toward some in
Idividual abroad who viii suffer. priya.
lion I" the extent OF our own indIvi,i,a
Intelligence.
|, III &c are TO reduce tho consulnp,ion
OF tho few products which We should
|tTport abroad we will need 10 : cat o
ars"r proportion o: many ~diaerent
iooostuhs which We cannot export and
which VIC have at homo. For this rca-
son 10 must not waste any ioodstufrs
great many individuals In our pop,i.
iation cat far more food than is neccs.
sary to maintain their health and
strength. In this emergency only TN.
simplest Of living is patriotic. We wan.
no person in tho United States 10 eat
less than is required for good health
ana full strength. for in this emergency
America requires every atom OF Tho
productive power OF our pcorIc While
many can ca, less. all OF our popuia
ton can substitute other foodstuns for
the few that arc vitality needed for eS-
port
RUSSIA'S COLLAPSE DUE
TO FAILURE OF FOoD
We must not overlook Tie fact tina,
E"ssia collapsed not because Of thc
Germans on her borders, but largely
because Of tho failure 10 organize and
feed her own citizens, and, IL We ar,
10 emerge victorious from this war. we
cannot risk the collapse OF another OF
our allies from this same cause There
is no waste OF food among any Of our
allies-there is.thc mos; drastic rcduc-
ton in their consumption: there is
actual privHtion among their women
and children: there is starvation in Bel
GUM.
we have already issued a series If
suggestions in the Home Ca rd-a card
that is now hanging in over 10000. 900
or homes. These : questions have all
ready shown important results and to
these we now add others. The problem
OF saving In food is a local and in
dividual one. so that more precise and
definite rules Just TO all cannot he
formulated. 1t is a matter for Tho con-
scientious consideration OF every in
dividual that he or she should eat only
that which is necessary to maintain
bodily health and strength and un-
selhshly to select those foodstuffs tho
use OF which relieves international
necessities. In this winter OF 1918
lies the period when there will be
tested in this great free country of
ours the question as % whether or
not our people are capable of volun
tary individual sell: -sacrifce to save