The Robesonian., 1917-05-14
NATION NEEDS FOOD coNrpo,

"4.hout Such Control Flour Nav a.
@1V Barrel Before War is OvD
1No occasion for Food pan;,
eqeral Control Necessary to
Heguiate Prices and Increase CIR
Herbert G. Hoover, who recen+,,,
came zane from Europe to advise tba tben.ly oo,:
s elnlnent on food conditions ;e sGv- ~,
! Ups says that without control NJ
! May see flour at 500 barrel bafore he we
14s S4s war is over, but that with con+roI
liz sIe present price of flour can an ha =,
reduced 40 to so per cent and at at +be be
% same y u Time the producer be treataJ tsJ
n liberal manner" 'Aeo'eo
j.; Mr. Hoover thus outlined food ~.
u,aions IN a statement to The A.
,, x. outrageous Prices JJn;ust;f;od
mere is absolutely No occas;on
Tor food panic in this co,nt occasion
any justification for on+,.o nor
prices unless the Opposition u.lsgeous IF sa
la interests defeats the Prasidontp 0pes. :,
obtaining the necessary "uemt nomana IN
control the nations food pGTIrs fn11.l 70
nottquaeely: not uaa Americas problem is
ann uiG 1r;7, u famine, for We have now
nlns u WI m,, nave next year a large sur
~. p,us, our problem is, after the nron-
U;,,d pit.eIIlon ~ OF our own people. t,
s,,re,, g,re W tne Allies the last ounce ef
oo1 sdr1 nus OF which we are capable.
oo,,t.l1 nere1ofe the nation, needs . food
Ion'iol 1a+ Tor two purposes: to reeu-
W Affenp praces and increase The surplus.
sa A,eer providing for our normal con. M.
sSumptlon, San we will have, together With
iiaLa' surplus for our allies emus1
H. ~ oiily sixty per cent of the food
@ Iey require from lis. If We 1aka
h..s~e measures of control W. can
WIZ as little disturbance to eco
nom1c machinery as need be. furnish
'n11n an additional twenty per cent
lnelr loaf even then will be nri
vaIlon loaf, and every ounce we can
put IN IT It's much diminish their nriva
,.ll; tlon. me problem is capable of So
l1Gion. II, however, the wh, world
ailleo and neutral, is to have the nm,
restricted run Of our markets in com
leiit:on with each other and in com
le.l1.on with the speculatoe in ihis
country we may expect to see s5
Wneat before the Year is over.
NO interference With Trade
Large measures Of food control
oo not mean arbitrary interference
WIN the necessary economic machin-
cry OF trade. They mean that ever1
Dranch be called in by the government
ana forge themselves into a link fro,,
wRlch the contemplated chain will
protect, producer, legitimate distribu-
tor and consumer.
For instance, I am assured that
the American farmer did not rea1ize
Sl.3O per bushel for the 1916 wheat
harvest, yet the price of wheat in
New York today is 1925 per bushel
and flour is $14 the barrel.
have no hesitation in saving
that, if the able, patriotic men rem,
resting the majority of each branch
Rof the food trades were called in and
clothed with the necessary powers to
Iorce the small minority of skunks
that exist in every trade, one result
would be that an equally nutritious
Hour based on even S1.50 wheat could
De sold 1nNewYork for good deal un
Ger 80 per barrel, and every trade
would receive it's legitimate profit.
Without control, we may see 500 flour
oeIofe the year is out, and a total
dislocation of wages and consequent
dslocation of industry and living.
!, "On the other hand, if we overcome
the submarine and if we open other
markets to our allies We NAV see
wheat at 81 bushel and flour under
S6. In any event, with sufficient
control, the present price of flour
can be reduced by forty per cent to