The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1917-06-22
PASS THE FOOD BILL.

Red Cross fund, the next thing TO
you to do to help your country wi
the war is to bring pressure to bea
in congress to pass the food cOntro
bill without a minutes delay.
This is the bill which gives to tn
president autocratic powers over tn
producers, distributors, and if neces
sary, the consumers of food.
The president will exercise this au
thority through Herbert C. Hoover
who, as head of the commission fol
Belgian relief during the past three
years, has demonstrated quality o.
patriotism and ability which marks
him as one of the great Americans Of
his time. Hoover knows more about
the problem of the worlds food sup
ply than any other living man.
He, as you are aware by reading
the reports in The News, was recall
ed to this country several weeks ago
by the president to take hold of this
tremendous job. He accepted with
the understanding that he would re-
ceive no pay and that his chief assist
ants also would donate their time and
services to their country. Since his
arrival in this country. Hoover has
been forced to mark time at Wash
ington, while the agricultural commit
tee of the house of representatives
wrangled over petty details of the law
which must be passed before he can
get to work. The bill has finally been
reported out favorably by the COM
,nittee and is now before the house
for debate and vote.
From the house it will go to the
senate, where it is feared there will
be an organized effort to defeat it
or so weaken it that the powers which
Hoover must have, if he is to do eff
fective work, will be denied him.
Hoover says that the world food
shortage is so great and the Difficult
ties to be overcome in organizing its
distribution so that our allies will be
able to keep up the fight against Ger
many. so enormous that the element
Of time is of vital Importance.
1t is not only a question of supply
ing Great Britain, France and Italy
with food. 1t is also a question of
so regulating the apportionment that
he shortage of food for our own peo-
Die will not reach the point where
we will be underfed and therefore
not efficient industrially and mill
.arily.
Also. it is a question of giving to
Hoover the authority to deal with
food spectators and food hoarders,
to the end that prices be stabilized.
When all is said and done, no great
or problem now confronts us and our
allies than this problem of stimulat-
ing production, regulating distribu-
ion and stabilizing prices of food
Hoover has undertaken one of the
biggest, if not the very biggest, jobs
that has ever been put up to one man.
The members of congress who in
terfere with the successful carrying
out of his plans by delaying or limit
ing his authority will not only pro-
long the war, but will actually endan-
ger the cause of America and her al
lies.
The food bill is probably not a per-
feet bill. but it is the kind of bill that
The president and Hoover say is nee
essary if the food situation is to be
saved.
If the food situation is not saved,
then the military situation against
Germany is not saved. The supply
ing of our allies with sufficient food
during the next six months to keep
their armies in the field and their
civil population at home nourished is
not only our duty to them, but 1t is
a matter of self-protection for our
selves.
Our first line of defense against the
German war lords and their powerful
military machine is on the French