Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-09-05
PINE BLUFF ELKS
 PRACTICAL PLAN
 FOR FOOD SUPPLY
Adopt Mayor Blooms Slug gestion Inviting Every
 Fraternal Lodge,

1 Every fraternal lodge in the Unit
 ed States will be invited to co-operate
 with Pine Bluff lodge No. | @. Benoyo 1 lent and Protective Or3er oS r,ltS. ir
 securing ten acres of land fer each | lodge, to be planted in foodstuffa. | thereby assisting not only in the con servation of fCod but to insure an abundance of foodstuffs for the sol diers of the allies ard for the men.
 women and children eff the United States.
 The idea was conceived by Simon Bloom. mayor of Pine Bl,iff, and a charter member of the lodge. He is 1 assisting the federal government in , the work of food conservation and al
 ready has secured land for more than one hundred families to plant next year.
 Mayor Bloom has given considcra-
 hle thought to the subject. He said this plan will not only assist in the conservation of food, but will start truck farm of ten acres by various lodges, and in the end they will be able to produce an ample supply of food stuffs to supplement that which is grown by the professional farmers and truckers.
 eff all other fraternal organizations will follow the Pine Bluff Elks.' he said, "this country can easily feed it. self and also feed the allies. It can be done, and the people can readily
 see the necessity of united action in this matter"
 Charles w. Miller of The Graphic
 was invited to speak on the sub
 feet at the meeting of the lodge last night and he said there are more than 1O9 300 subordinate lodges in the Unit
 ed States, not including the Masonic order, whose membership runs above
 a million. Many of the Masonic
 lodges will cooperate in the move
 ment, but if only half the 109,5Oo plant ten acres each, there will be 347,3o0
 acres planted to foodstnffs next spring by the lodges alone MT. Miller added that large num-
 Der of organizations outside the fra 1 ter2al ranks. will take part in this
 work. He said that this movement | is practical and will lead to a reduc- 1 ticn of the high cost of living: that
 while a great part of the tooast'llls can be sold at reasonable prlces, such
 as would reimburse the lodges for
 the outlay for land seed, cultivation and marketing, there would be suffl-
 cient supply left to be distributed
 gratis to the poor and: needy.
 The lodge already had conserva-
 tion committee, which committee rec
 commended the proposition and asked
 that it be accepted. The rccommend- l alton was adopted. It was ordered that ten acres be obtained for the
 purpose set forth in the foregoing And two members, Carter Murphy and
 c. H. Murphy. said they had several acres to donate for tht use of the 1 lodge. c. K. TomaszewsKy, exalted ruler. was instructed to increase the conservation committee by adding the names of Mayor simon Bloom and
 Drew White to it's personnel. Ihes chairman is N. J. Can't, and the other members are Dr. J. l. Norris, pastor of the First Presbyterian church, ana Mack Hollis.
 Dr. Norris has been advocating an agricultural course for the high school
 boys, and will push the matter With the board of education for it's adop- ton during the ensuing term. Lana for cultivation by the boys will be
 obtained in time for next spring.
 Mayor Bloom will make report or the action of the Elks lodge to Her
 bert Hoover, United States food ao-
 ministrator, and it is believed he Will
 readily endorse the plan for adoption
 in all fraternal organizations.
 Mayor Bloom will bringthe matter to the attention of the Eagles and var ious labor organizations in the city. Others who are members Of the Varl-
 ous arders will follow suit.
 Edward de Valera, leader in the recent Irish rebellion, who was sen