The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-03-21
The FOOD SITUATION
AND CROP PROSPECTS
Secretary Of Agriculture Says There
is Nothing to Justify Hysterical
Thinking or Action.

Thinking or ACTION. l
The Secretary of Agriculture, D.
F. Houston, today, March 3, issued
the following statement:
There is nothing in the food situa-
ton of the country which justifes
hysterical thinking or action. This
is not time for hysteria. Nor is
this a time for the thought of the
American people to be directed or
dominated by those who have the in
terests of another country primarily
at heart or any selfshinterest to fur
Their.
The prices of foodstuffs are high.
A full and satisfactory explanation
of prevailing prices is not possible
on the basis of existing knowledge.
1t is only recently that agencies have
been created in the country to study
food distribution, and we have not
all the necessary facts to enable US
to arrive at the truth. Where the
food supply is located, who owns it,
what may be the difficulties of Sc
curing it, whether the local market
conditions are due to car shortage,
whether there is artificial manipula-
tion or control, no one can state
with certainty. 1t is essential that
we have the facts not only because
of the light they may throw on pre-
sent conditions but also because
they are prerequisite for the work
ing out of permanent, just, and
economical system of marketing.
Therefore the investigation directed
by the President ought to be made
promptly, and Congress ought to
give the Federal Trade Commission
and the Department of Agriculture
the necessary funds. Certainly such
an investigation cannot furnish i'm
mediate relief, but it would be alb
surd to oppose it for this reason. 1t
does not stand in the way of any
other measures that may be wise.
1t does not prevent any constructive
action on the part Of any municipal
or local agencies. We must have the
facts and the sooner the investiga-
ton is undertaken the better. 1t is
highly probable that as a result Of
it large permanent improvements
may be made.
For partial immediate relief, every
individual and community shrould
consider earnestly the matter of
food conservation and the limitation
of waste. AS a nation we seem to
have disdain of economizing. In
many homes there is a strong feeling
that it is "only decent" to provide
more food than will be eaten and
that is demeaning to reckon closely.
The experts of the Department of
Agriculture report to me that the
dietary studies made by them point
to an annual food waste of about
$70O,OO0,OO0. Of course, the waste
in families of very limited means is
slight, but in the families of moder-
ate and ample means the waste is
considerable. Even if the estimate
were reduced by half the waste
would still be enormous.
The food waste in the household,
the expert asserts, results in large
measure from bad preparation and
bad cooking, from improper care and
handling, and, in weM-to-do families,
from serving an undue number of
courses. and an overabundant supply
and failing to save and utilize the
food not consumed. AS an instance
of improper handling, it is discover
ed that in the preparation of pota
toes 20 percent of the edible portion
in many cases is discarded.
I am informed that the belliger-
ents in Europe in dealing with their
food situation have, up to this time,
accomplished their purposes more lar
gely through conservation of foods,
regulation of the diet, limitation of
courses and quantities, and preven-
ton of waste, rather than through
direct control of production or re-
gulation of distribution under any
sort of dictatorship. Only recently
has England indicated her intention
to deal directly with production, and
in doing so has recognized it as es-
sential that she guarantees to far
mers reasonable minimum price
over a period of years. Obviously,
if farmers are to be induced to in
crease increage, guaranty of rea-
sonable price by the Nation or the
community seems necessary. Far
mers are governed by the same
thinking and motives of other peo-
pie. They are patriotic; but it is
unlikely that they will undertake
greatly to increase their output un-
less they are reasonably sure that r.