The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-09-28
HUNGER WILL WIN
WAR SAYS HOOVER
UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINS
TRAITOR URGES oRGANIzA-
TIoN OF PRODUCTION
FOOD SUPPLY AS A WEAPON
Says We Have Been Exporting Beyond
Capacity to Produce but Now
Danger of Actual Shortage
at Home Is Past

Atlantic City, N. J., Sept. 20.-Her-
bert Hoover, the food administrator,
speaking on the world food situation
at the war convention of the chamber
of commerce of the United States, last
night declared that starvation would
win the war and the side best able to
organize its resources for food produc-
ton and conservation would come out
| victorious.
1.-THE food situation of America and
the allies is such,' said, Mr.. Hoover,
that the neutral countries of north
ern Europe cannot hope to get food
from the United States unless they
expect to furnish equivalent service
in other directions to the common pool
against Germany"
Lord Northcliffe, head of the British
commission in this country, told of his
work as purchasing agent for Great
Britain and how he is spending be-
tween $50O00,0O0 and S60,000,000
week. He also described some funda-
mental changes in industry that the
war has caused in Great Britain and
said that some of these changes would
take place also in the United States.
Food" said Mr.. Hoover, 'has since
the war began, gradually assumed
larger place in the economies, the
craftsmanship and the strategy of
warfare. The allies are blockading
the food from Germany and the sur
rounding neutrals are under great
pressure to export their supplies both
ways. The Germans are trying to
starve the allies by sinking the food
ships, and all governments are faced
with reduction of consumption, stimu-
lation of production, control of prices
and readjustment of wages. The win
ming of the war is largely a problem
OF who can best organize this weapon.
There has come about not only a
limitation of supplies, but an accumu-
lation in inaccessible markets. The re-
suit of these cumulative forces is that |
North America is called upon by both
allies and neutrals for quantities of |
food far beyond it's normal export |
ability.
IF the extremely high prices thun- |
dering at every door were not suffi- |
cient demonstration, it is possible, by |
actual figures to prove that we have
been exporting in many commodities
actually beyond our capacity to pro-
duce. During the last year we have
exported every last ounce of which
the country, during this period was
capable of producing and our national
stock of cereals and animal products
to our population, was
1T the beginning of this harvest, the
owest in our history, and many Of us
nave been under the keenest anxiety
cts we should face absolute shortage
This anxious period is now happily
passed"
Lord Northcliffe said that the United
States, as did England, would come to
realization that war Is a great bust
less enterprise and that this country
must draw on it's best resources in
hemistry, engineering, transportation,
and distribution.
almost all of the industries in our
ountry," Lord Northcliffe said, "have
een remade by the war;" and he add
d, zone of the first practical things
One in Great Britain to assist in win
ing the war was to lengthen the day
y adding an hour in the morning and
ropping an hour in the afternoon.
'You will require vast refrigerating
torres for the preservation of meats I
nd other foods for your armies. Six
lonths from now you will probably ;
ave between 100000 and 100000 men
4 France.
"This war is the greatest business |
he world has ever known. Let me tell
GU that you will have to furnish be-
ween five and six pairs of shoes a
ear in the easiest parts of the lines
t the front, and II pairs year in the
ard parts, for each of the 100000 or
10000 men you will soon have on the
ront."
Lord Northcliffe pointed out that
he average life of rifle is six weeks,
S one instance in addition to those al
eady cited of the amount of business
rganization that must be created in
he United States on account of the :.
yar.