Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-08-29
HOOVER TELLS OF
FOOD SITUATION
Administrator Issues Message
on Conservation.
IS GREAT PROBLEM OF WAR
Americas Production and Needs Of the
Allied Nations Set Forth--What
We Must Do to Keep Wolf
From the Door.

From the Door.
Washington, Aug. 20.-Herbert G..
Hoover, United States food admins
traitor, today issued to the American
public his statement covering the food
situation as it now exists and the ne
cessity of conserving the food re
sources of the nation to provide for
the future during the continuance of
the war. The statement follows:
Food Is always more or less of a
problem in every phase of its produc-
ton, handling and consumption. 1t is
q problem with every farmer, every
transporter and seller, every house
holder. 1t is a problem with every
town, state and nation. And now, very
conspicuously, 1t is a problem with
three great groups of nations, namely,
the allies the central empires and the
neutrals; in a word 1t is a great inter-
national problem.
The food problem today of our own
nation. therefore has as its most con-
spicuous phase an international charac-
ter. sufficient and regular supply
of food for the maintenance of the
great field armies Of our fighting allies
and of their no less great armies of
working men and working women in
the war industries, and finally for the
maintenance Of the women and chill
dren in the home, is an absolute ne
cessity, second to no other, for the
successful prosecution of the war for
liberty. In the providing of this food
for the great allied food pool. the Unit
ed States plays a predominant part
With the present diversion of tens Of
millions Of men from the farms into
the fighting and industrial armies, re-
Sulting IN marked lessening of food
production. and the present necessity
of increasing the daily ration Of other
millions of men turned from sedentary
occupations into those Of strenuous
physical labor, resulting in a marked
Increase Of consumption, this deficiency
between the food needs and the food
production Of the allies becomes great
or than ever, with the consequence Of
u large increase in the food quantities
lmperatively needed from the United
States If the allied armies are 20 be
able TO carry on"
Worlds Larder E,ar1ined.
This is a general statement of a con-
ditim which only needs to be elabor-
ated in detail to show just what we
have 10 do. The time has come when
this detailed statement can be made
Our harvest and the harvests of Eu-
rope cssn now be forecast. We can
also survey our combined stocks of
food animals. in other words, the size
Of that part OF the worlds larder on
which we and the allies can draw for
the next twelve months can now be es-
timated. This estimate shows at once
that il contains too little for our own
and our allies use unless we all adj
minister the supply with the greatest
care and wisdom. The allied peoples
are theoretically undertaking this adj
do our part. If we fail, the people of
the allies cannot he maintained mt war.
Their soldiers cannot fight without
food. certain definitely determine
BILE part of that food must come from
US. Let US then examine carefully the
worlds harder as it appears today, or
so much Of IT as is at our disposal
propose TO review the ',ation
first. as regards the cereals. second. as
regards food animals and their prod
ucts third, as regards sugar. fourth,
as regards vegetables, fifth, as regards
FISH and sea foods and. finally. as re-
CARDS cur duty in the matter.
Cereals.
The 1917 harvest is now so far aG-
yanced that We may compare 1t with
previous production and with the de-
mands which are going to be made on
it,
Table No. is given to show the
normal peace sources of the annual
supplies Of France Italy, the United
Kingdom and Belgium, being an aver
age Of the three-yrar pre-war period
1t win be seen from this table that
the normal imports Of wheat are ISL
coo 600 bushels and Of other cereals
S45,n00o00 bushels. The estimate of
the 1917 harvest n the allied countries
based upon crop reports from these
countries is as follows:
Probable Az nor Oaarieprv