Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-08-24
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.

Washington, Aug. 20.-Herbert @.
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
eessity 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 it's produc-
tion, handling and consumption. 1t is
a 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, it is a problem with
three great groups of nations, namely,
the allies, the central empires and the
neutrals; In word it 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. A 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 predominant part.
With the present diversion of tens Of
millions Of men from the farms into
the fighting and Industrial armies, re-
sulting In a 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
er than ever, with the consequence of
large increase in the food quantities
imperatively needed from the United
States II the allied armies are to be
able to "carry on"
Worlds Larder Examined.
This is a general statement of con-
dition which only needs to be elabor-
ated In detail to show Just what we
have TO do. The time has come when
this detailed statement can be made.
Our harvest 'and the harvests Of Eu-
rope can 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 1t contains too little for our owr
and our allies use unless we all ad
minister the supply with the greatest
care and wisdom. The allied peoples
are energetlcally undertaking this ad
minlstration. 1t lies now with us tC
do our part. If we fail, the people Of
the allies cannot be maintained at war
Their soldiers cannot fight without
food. A certain definitely determine
BILE part of that food must come from
us. Let us then examine carefully tn,
worlds laFder as it appears today, o.
so much of 1t as is at our disposal.
propose to review the situation
first, as regards the cereals, second, al
regards food animals and their prod
ucts, third, as regards sugar, fourth
as regards vegetables, fifth, as regard
fish and sea foods, and, finally, as re
CARDS our duty in the matter.
Cereals.
The 1917 harvest is now so far ad
vnnced that we may compare it wit
previous production. and with the dc
mands which are going to be made o
Il.
Table No. is given to show tn
normal peace sources of the annui
supplies of France, Italy, the Unite
Kingdom and Belgium, being an ave
age Of the three-year pre-war periot
1t will be seen from this table tha
the normal imports of wheat are 3S1
100000 bushels and of other cereal
345,000,000 bushels. The estimate Q
the 1917 harvest in the allied countrie
based upon crop reports from thes
countries, is as follows: