The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-06-26
President Designates Advisors
Who Will Aid Him Exercise
Extraordinary Powers
PLAN AIDS AMERICA
TO FEED THE ALLIES
Little Check Upon Volume Of
Shipments and Prices Will
Not Be Affected by the New
Regulations

Washington, June 25.-Prestdent
Wilson today by executive order Gre
ated the exports council. board
| which Will pass upon exerY-ounce Of
foodstuffs leaving the United States
for neutral nations.
II is composed of four men, Score
tary of State Lansing. secretar..- of
Commerce Redield, Secretary of
Agriculture Houston and the food
administrator" This latter will be
Herbert C. Hoover. He is not person
ally named In the presidents pro-
! clamation as congress has not yet
established the food administration
bureau.
President Wilson issued a state
ment explaining just what the exports
council Is expected 10 effect
There will be little check put upon
! the volume OF exports the president
stated, and he makes the point that
the principal object TO be attain ed
will be to see that our allies and their
| armies are fed SO that the war may
be fought successfully.
| at il important the presidents
statement. reads. that the country
should understand Just what Is intend
ed in the control of exports which Is
about to be undertaken. and since the
]
president I can speak with authority
concerning it The exports council
will be merely advisory to the presi-
| dent.
There will. Of course. be no pro-
| hibition of exports. The normal
! course of trade will be interfered> with
as little as possible and, so far as
| possible. only its normal course d.
rected The whole object will be to
I . =
| will go first and by preference where
they are most needed and most i'm
| n,ediately needed. ana temporarily to
+, withhold them, II necessary. where
they can best be spared.
Following Primary Duty.
| Our primary duty In the matter
of foodstuffs and like necessaries is
to see to II that the peoples associated
with us in the war get as generous a
proportion as possible OF our surplus:
but 1t will also be our wish and pur-
| pose TO supply the neutral nations
whose peoples depend upon us for
such supplies as nearly In proportion
| to their need as the amount to be pro-
! vided permits
! There will thus he little check put
| upon the volume of exports and the
| prices obtained for them will not be
| affected by this regulation.
| This policy will be carried out
not By prohihitive legislation but by a
/ system of licensing exports which will
| be as simply organized and admins
tered as possible. SO as to constitute
| no impeachment in the normal flow OF
| commerce. In brief, the free way OF
! trade will not be arbitrarily interfered
with II will only be intel1igently and
systematically directed IN the light OF
| full information with regard to the
needs and market conditions through
| out ths world and the necessities OF
| our people at home and the armies
| OF our associates abroad.
| Government Seeks Facts
1.-THE government is taking or has
| taken. steps to ascertain for example
Just what the available present supply
of wheat and corn Is remaining from
/ the crops of last year: to learn from
each of the countries exporting these
foodstuffs from the United States what
! their purchases in this country are
now and where they are stored; and
/ what their needs are in order that we
may adjust things so far az possible to
| our own needs and free stocks: and
] this information is IN course OF being
rapidly supplied.
THE case Of wheat and corn will
| serve as an illustration of all the rest
of supplies of all kinds. Our trade
can be successfully and probably con-
! Quoted now. the war pushed to a vic
| torious issrfe and the needs of our own
people and OF the other peoples with
whom we are still free to trade eff
fciently, met only by systematis direc-
ton; and that is what will be at
tempted"
Council Wtclds Large Powers.
/ The exports council which will ad-
minister those provisions of the
espionage act dealing with embargo
constitutes one of the most powerful
bodies in the history of the United
States. No food can go to neutral ma
tons without first receiving a license
from the council. No ship may clear
with cargo and not licensed by this
board. 1t will consider the food situa-
ton in its national and international
aspect.
It will study supplies and demands
at home; the demands OF the allies
and then divide the residue among the
half dozen or more hungry European
neutrals appealing to the United States
for food.
The nations may no longer pur
tchase In the open market here The,
CONTINUED on Second Page.)