Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-15
European
Labor.

1
watching and investtigat-
Aaooi' ing the labor conditions in
European countries, and now. since this
country is actually involved in the war,
the results noted are of especial value,
inasmuch as in many instances We can
follow the steps Of our allies in work
ing out the industrial situation.
1t was found during the course of
the investigative work that a primary
problem confronting Great Britain was
to. determine whether compulsion
should be attempted. In an effort to
mobilize its labor forces for war pur-
poses, and II go. to what extent. For
the purposes OF rapid and enectiss
imobtliza ton the use Of some form of
commission. exercised by central di-
recting authority, suggested itself as
having many advantages In practice
! however, the problem proved more
/ complicated than it might appear on
| the surface.
| To a large extent. so 1t was found,
the success of compulsion depends upon
the social conditions and immediate
history CT a people. If nation has
been schooled to the idea of universal
military compulsion. either as set
national policy or as n result of the
needs of national defense, and If there
exists machinery to deal with the dis
tary purposes, but also for industrial
| purposes, then some of the difficulties
| in the way Of compulsory labor mooiIi-
cation are removed. Thus 1t appears
that the principal continental bellis
erents have. generally speaking, adopt
ed compulsion both for military and
for civilian purposes. Even 80. the ex-
perience Of these countries, in SO Tar
as information is available. would seem
| to indicate. say our own experts. that
civil compulsion is by no means an easy
thing to maintain over n long. period
| and is, In any case. difficult thing TO
| administer. AS illustrating the latter
! point, it is pointed out that the strain
Of industrial compulslon is undoubt
eddy beginning to make itself felt IN
Germany. While credence need not be
given to exaggerated reports OF 1ndns,
trial unrest. the labor experts say ana
conditions which obtain in that coun-
! try, 1t is still apparent that the system
i of martial law in civil life tends IN the
| long run to exhaust the patience ana
to initiate against the most successIui
output of a people, even though they
have been long accustomed to obeoi-
ence and authority.
! As to the difficulty of administration.
| however well France and Germany
| NAV have utilized their resources in
man power in the early ssages OF the
| war, it seems to be admitted that the
| mistakes made by both Of these conn-
| tries were considerab Bile. In othcf
! words, that desire of placing every man
at his right post has by no means been
achieved by the continental powers.
| Indeed, so our own experts say, the
! difficulties Of the effort to do this on
large scale have been sshown to be
| overwhelming by the experience OF
Germany in It's attempt to control
labor under the auxiliary service act.
| 1t would appear, therefore. from all
available information regarding ex-
+1a Il
| pulsion of labor generally Is by no
means the complete solution Of war
| time problems in any country. 1t may
/ be safely said that the Industrial or
ganization is complex and reacts in
| so many thousand unexpected ways
! that no central organization can be
| built up in time of stress which would
| make the best possible use or each m
| diytdual unit. Our experts believe that
this is particularly true of country
/ like Great Britain. where the idea or
compulsory service, even for purposes
! of national defense. was entirely alien.
| With this in mind, the British govern
| ment confronted by the immediate
question. decided at the outbreak of the
| war that it was only upon basis OF
| agreement and by volunteering that the
| labor of the country could be managed.
| Adults and children must get
| food they eat or they will
ueo1+hfrI miss something which is
| essential to bodily eff
| menus. cheney and health, accord
/ ing to the nutrition specialists of the
| Department Of Agriculture. The house
wife, therefore. who plans her meals
| or attempts to save money on f"od
without some knowledge of these sub
stances and of the five simple groups
| of foods which supply them is very
| liable, say these experts, to omit from
her meals some food essential for the
growth of children or necessary to
F, supply the family with the energy they
| need for their daily tasks.
1t is further pointed out by the gov
| ernment experts that attempted econ
| ony which entirely omits certain
| vestment. because of It's ultimate
| effect on the well-being of the house
| hold Price. individual preference TOR
| certain foods, and even the fact that
| hunger is satisfied after meal, are
! no safe guides. Tomatoes. at 10 cents
| apiece In winter it is pointed out, are
| no more nutritious than they are at
| 5 cents a quart in summer chiid
| would be good for him. bulky diet
| of potatoes or bananas might make n
| person feel he had eaten enough, but
! would not furnish him with the ele-
| mcnts that his body needs.
To plan out meals in the interest of
! family efficiency and economy at the
| same time. the housewife fortunately
! does not need to do elaborate sums in
| caIories or to have any intimate
| knowledge Of such terms protein"
| or 'carbohydrates" All she needs to
| do, it is said, is to classify the food she
uses into seven simple household
| groups.
| The substances which the specialists
! find are needed In the daily diet to
| maintain the body may be grouped
| under seven heads: Mineral substances.
| protein, starches, sugars, fats, cellulose
and certain little-knoWn. but very i'm
| portant erowth-st i'm ulating substances.
The mineral substances, such as lime
salts, compounds of phosphorus, iron,
and others. are supplied largely by
vegetables, the experts say. They serve
/ the body as building material. tend to
! counteract acidity in the body tissues
| and fluids and ar. useful in other ways.
Vegetables and fruits, therefore. should
not be neglected in the diet. especially
as they supply another substance,
! cellulose, the framework material of
| plants, which gives bulk to the diet
| and tends to prevent constipation.
| Protein. a substance supplied By meat or
i meat substitutes, including milk, Is a
! very important fuel and body building
/ material II provides an element
| not only during growth in childhood but
| also to make good the wear and tear
| of use in persons of any age, thus
| keeping the body in repair as 1t We're.
| Absence of foods supplying protein
/ would give a diet lacking in body
| building materials.
| 1t is further pointed out that differ
4, ff