The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-08-21
Our Duty

must we naye q proper use OF our 1000
SUPPLY In order that We may furnish
our allies with the sinews With which
they may fight our battles. but It Is
an oct of humanity towards. fellow
men, women and children. - ~
by the diversion Of millions OF men
rom 1p5rodhttfon to war, blythe occu-
paton II 1And by armies, by tke iso.
iaYtonn Il Il qMafkets,, by belligerrent lines,
and by tie destruction of shipping by
submarines, not only has the home pro
duction Of our allies fallen by. over
100000, 900 bushels Of grain, But they
are thrown upon us for a much larger
proportion Of their normal Imports for.
merly obtained from other markets.
=. They have reduced consumption at
every point, but men in the trenches,
men In the shops, and the millions Of
women placed at physical labor re.
quire more. food than during peace
times, and the incidence Of their saving
and any shortage which they may suf-
fer, falls first upon women and chill
drcn. If this privatioh becomes too
great, their peoples cannot be main
tanned constant in tlc;War, md we will
be left alone to fight the battle Of
democracy with Germany,
The problem Of food conservation is
one Of many complications. We cannot,
and we do not wish. with our free in
situations and our large resources Of
food, to imitate Europe in its Spoliced
rationing, but we must voluntarily and
intelligently assume the responsibility
before us as5Sone in which everyone
has Il direct and inescapable interest.
We must increase our export of foods
to the. allies, and in the circumstances
of our shipping situation, these exports
must be of $thc most concentrated
foods. These are wheat, flour, beef,
pork and dairy products. We have 9th
er foods in great abundance which we
can use instead of these commodities,
and we can prevent wastes in thou
sand directions. We must guard the
drainage Of exports from the United
States, that we retain proper supply
for our own country, and we must
adopt such measures as will anchor
ate, so far as may be, the price cOndi-
lions of our less fortunate. We might
SO drain the supplies from the country
to Europe as by the high prices that
would follow to force our people to
shorten their consumption. This Oper-
alton of normal economic forces"
would starve that element of the COM
munity to whom we owe the most pro-
lection. We must try to impose the
burden equally upon all.
Action Must Be Voluntary.
There is no royal road to food con-
servatiOn. We can only accomplish
this by the voluntary action of our
whole people, each element In proper
lion to its means. 1t is a matter Of
equality of burden; matter Of min
ute saving and substitution ut every
point in the 2O,OOO,OOO kitchens, on the
2O,OOO,O0O dinner tables and in the O.
100000 manufacturing, wholesale and
retml establishments of the country.
The task is thus in its essence the daily
individual service Of all the people.
Every group can substitute and even
the great majority Of thrifty people
can save Il littie-and the more luXuri'
GUS elements Of the population can by
reduction to simple living save much
The final result of substituting other
products and saving one pound OF
wheat flour, two ounces of fats, seven
ounces of sugar and seven ounces OF
meat weekly, by each person, will
when we have multiplied this by ono
hundred million, have increased oul
exports to the amounts absolutely re-
quircd by our allfes. This means nc
more than that we should eat plenty
but eat wisely and without waste.
Food conservation has other aspects
Of utmost Importance. ! Wars must bt
paid for by savings. We must save
in the consumption in commodities ant
the consumption Of unproductive la
Dor in order that we may divert Oul
manhood to the army and to the shops
If by the reduction in consumption OF
labor and the commodities that it pro
duces and the diversion of this saving
to That labor and those commodities
demanded by the war, we shall be able
to fight to eternity. We can mortgage
our future savings for a little while
but piling up'uf mortgages Is but d
short step toward bankruptcy. Every
atom that we save is available for sub
'scrlption to Liberty bonds.
The whole of Europe has been en-
gaged ever since the war began in the
elimination of waste, the simplification
Of life, and the increase of its indus
trial capacity. When the war is over
the consuming power Of the world will
be reduced by the loss of prosperity
and man power, and we shall enter q
period of competition without parallel
m,.ser0city. After the war, we must
maintain our foreign markets if our
working people are to be employed
We shall be in no position to compete
If we continue to live on the same
basis of waste and extravaganza on
which we have lived hitherto. Simple
temperate living IS moral issue of the
first order at any time, and any other