The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-05-23
THE NATIONS FOOD.
Congress Should Heed What Mr.. Hoov.
er Says at Once.
(From the New York Sun,

have the post Of dictator of food sun.
plies forced upon him or not there ..
no doubt that he is the fittest man
IN the world for it. Never before I'm
history has one man been charged
with the feeding of whole nation.
In directing the relief Of Belgium Mr.
Hoover has supervised the collection
and distribution of food on a scale
unprecedented in the history of phil
anthropic organizations.
America faces certain peril I'm the
production and conservation NJ q.
food supply. We agree with Mr.. Hoo.
yer when he declares fatty that
there is absolutely no occasion for
food panic in this country, nor any
Justihcation for outrageous prices un-
less the opposition of special interests
defeats the president in obtaining the
necessary powers to control the ma.
tion's food fully and adequately"
Those powers should be employed
to regulate prices and increase the
surplus. 1t seems impossible that we
snail have enough for ourselves and
also for the full needs of or allies.
Mr.. Hoover holds that if we take
measures to stimulate production we
may be able to meet 80 per cent of
the whole Of their demand. That un.
satisfied 20 per cent is what will
wreck our market, and force prices to
the point of extortion, If foreign buy
ers. both Allies and neutrals, are al
lowed to come here and bid against
each other and against us for food,
The government must have the power
to protect our markets, and to regu.
late the quantity of sales to foreign
buyers.
The Sun is gratified to note that
in his discussion of food regulation
Mr.. Hoover does not urge multi.
plicity Of new commissions, bureaus
and place holders to do the work. He
would use the men who are already
doing the work Of production and dis
tribution, merely making them work
for the general good instead Of for
themselves. AS he puts it:
Large measures of food control do
not mean arbitrary interference with
the necessary economic machinery Of
trade. They mean that every branch
be called in by the government and
forge themselves into a link from
which the contemplated chain will
protect producer. legitimate distribu-
ter and conusmer. -.
Il have no hesitation in saying ehs>D
II the able, patriotic men representing
the majority of each branch of the
food trades were called in and clothed
with necessary powers to control the
small minority Of skunks that exist in
every trade, one result would be that
an equally nutritious flour, based on
even $3.50 wheat, could be sold I'm
New York for a good deal under 50
barrel, and every trade would re.
ceive its legitimate profit. Without
control We may see $40 flour before
the year is out and total dislocation
of wages and consequent dislooation
Of industry and living"
The powers which Mr.. Hoover
would have granted to the president
are enumerated in the Lever bill, now
reported out of the agricultural COM
mlttee and which it is hoped will be
taken up in the house Immediately
the army bill is out of the way. They
are sweeping powers. but they must
De. They grant almost absolute con.
troll over the foodstuffs of the coun.
try from the time of production to
that of ultimate consumption. They
confer authority to regulate prices
and to check waste. They extend the
presidential power to matters CORE.
lated with the food supply like trans
portation and storage. They are
planned to meet this description Of
food control by Mr.. Hoover:
Food control does not mean bread
cards to the American people. It
means the broad conservation OF our
food, the better handling by elimina.
tion of waste and speculation. With
proper control of America the gov-
ernment would ask only one thing
from the individual consumer-that
he eat plenty, but wisely. and waste
nothing. And if democracy is a faith
worth defending our people will do
this service voluntarily and willine.
ly."
1t is to be hoped the American peo.