The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-24
FOOD MUST BE SAVED
Must Correct Habits of Waste Says
Hoover.


Must Correct Habits of Waste Say.
Hoover.
London, April 24.-The first ant
most important duty of the American
people to their Allies is to economic
on foodstuffs. This is the appeal OF
Herbert C. Hoover, chairman of the
American Commission for Relief in
Belgium and recently appointed
head of the American Food Board.
'If we do not do it," he declared
today. " we stand grave chance OF
losing the war, because our allies
cannot fight without food Our enc
mics are calculating that America
will fail in this and our allies will
need to give in. America can upset
these calculations"
In Supreme Effort
Mr.. Hooyer's observations were
made after three weeks of consulta-
ton with members of the British,
French and Italian Cabinets. He also
investigated the food and shipping
situation and plans for American CO.
operation. The net results he ar
rived at was that between now and
the next harvest it would require a
supreme effort by the American peo-
pie.
Il feel it my duty to emphasize"
Mr.. Hoover continued, that the food
situation is one of the utmost grav-
ity, which, unless it is solved, may
possibly result in the collapse of ev-
erything We hold dear in civilization.
The total stock of food today
available in the Allied world is simply
not sufficient to last to September If
American continues its present rate OF
consumption. We are now face TO
face with the result of last years poor
harvest the diversion of man-power
from agriculture all over the world;
the unayailing efforts OF the European
women TO plant available fields fully;
the isolation of Russia; the sinking
of food ships and many other causes.
Twice Usual Amount
England, France and Italy are re-
ducing consumption by drastic steps,
bue even with all this reduction they
must have from us during the next
three months more than twice as
much food as we should have ex-
ported normally or than we can send
if we consume as usuas.
"The only hope of providing the de-
ficiency is by the elimination of
waste and actual and rigorous self
sacrifice on the part of the American
people.
"The barest essentials the Allies
must have are, primarily, wheat and
pork products and, secondarily, meat,
corn and beans. They need mini
mum of 90,000,000 bushels of wheat
from North America, more than twice
today's apparent surplus on a nor
NAL export basis There is no time to
the dietary of Europe. To
carry the Allies over until the next
harvest we must reduce our wheat
consumption 80 per cent. This means
that every man woman and child
must forego at least one loaf of
wheat bread per week and eat some
thing else or less generally.
80 Per Cent. WastefuI
More than 70 per cent. of American
homes already are places of thrift,
economy and a clean plate. In the re-
naming 80 per cent. no one can deny
there is profigate extravaganza
and waste. Temperance Is entertain
ment. food and drink is likely to be-
come no longer an ethical question
among this class, but a grim imposi-
tion of war.
I'VE must also plant everything and
everywhere it will grow or next year
this time the food problem will be
absolutely unsolvable and the world
will face absolute starvation.
Il do not believe there will be any
necessity to rigidly rationing the Amer
ican people for, if democracy is of
any value as a spiritual and political
faith, the personal initiative and will
ingness to volunteer self-sacriflce of
every member of the greatest democ-
racy in the world will be ample to
solve the problem.
During the past fortnight we have,
with the collaboration of the Amer
ican Ambassadors in Europe laid the
groundwork for inter-Allied co-opera-
ton in handling and transporting the
vast food supplies required from
America one result of which will tend
10 ameliorate the rise in prices. have
proposed a plan by which the Allies
can consolidate under one hand the
whole purchasing of staple foodstuffs
from our market and not only will
competitive bidding be abolished but
by cooperation on our side we can ar
range proper balance between the
rights of producers and consumers"