The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-12
FOOD SH0RIRGE IS
GRAVE DANGER
Of COUNTRY
More Food Crops Needed or Fam
Inc Will Result
FARMERS CANNOT GET nfLp
Steps Taken by Vermont Committee
Of Safety to Increase Food Crops
In This State

flOuf at SjV 10 $4O per Darrel, pOta-
toes at S5 or more per bushel and 9TH
er food at relative prices may be ex-
pected within year unless the coun-
try wakes UP to the urgent need of
greatly increasing crop productions
the coming season.
/ AT the meeting of executive com
mittee of the Vermont Committee OF
Public Safety Monday evening at
Montpelier the report presented from
the chairman, Col Ira l.. Reeves, and
emphasized by others who have been
in correspondence with Washington,
is that III ? food situation of the Unit
ed States is more matter for alarm
than the military condition.
With more than twenty million men
under arms the production of food
crops is more affected than any other
business for the reason that when
young man from the shop. factory or
office enlists his place is most often
taken by men and boys from the
country. Then there are also large
number of enlistments from the rural
population. In many parts of Europe
about all the farm labor for two years
has been done by women. old men and
prisoners of war. The drain on the
food products of the neutral nations
has been enormous.
Now the United States has gone in
to the war and has started to raise an
army of 100000 men. 1t is clear that
the farms will furnish part of these
men and men TO take the places of
large part OF the others. The United
States, which has been the greatest
food supply country of the world, can
net keep up its production unless
special effort is made.
r This country can furnish all the
soldiers il is asked far easier than IL
can supply the farm workers that are
needed. 1t is evident that the Slack
sers' If there are any in this country
will be the men who can raise crops
and don't
The farmers will be blamed, but
they should not be. Practically every
one of them is planning TO plant all
the crops this year he can possibly
take care of, but it is just about i'm
possible for the farmers to get extra
help to raise extra crops.
The responsibility falls back on the
people in the villages and cities who
have a little spare time and little
surplus land to make up the deticien-
cy. Hundreds of thousands of gard
ems and plots of land in the cities and
villages have remained implanted year
after year for one reason or another,
but this year 1t is important that they
be carefully cultivated.
At the suggestion of Rev. Father d.
j, O'Sullivan of St Adams every
priest and minister in Vermont Is
asked and urged to place this matter
clearly before their congregations
next Sunday and the Sundays follow
ing. The raising of crops is just as
much a patriotic duty as enlistment.
Commissioner of education, Milo B.
Hillegas, suggested before the commit
tee, and later at meeting of the
school superintendents of the state,
that high school boys who are willing
and able to work on farms be released
from school the first of May, and be
given the same school credits as
though they remained at their studies,
to make up in part the shortage of
farm labor.
Commissioner Hillegas also has a
plan to enlist the boys and girls of the
grades and lower classes of the high
schools in raising potatoes, beans and
other vegetables on what land can be
found available. The girls will also
be given special instructions in can
ming and preserving so that all sur
plus crops may be preserved for
winter
Through the generosity of Miss
Emily Proctor of Proctor special in
struction in canning by expert instruc-
tors will be given and these will be
aided by women familiar with the
work in the several communities.
The committee voted Commissioner
Hillegas a fund of $4,000 to buy seed
and in each community citizens are
asked to see that the boys and girls
are provided with seed as it is GER
tain that the $4,000 to be provided by
the committee will not be enough.
Mr.. Hillegas is sending the following
letter to every teacher in the state:
"To the Teacher:
THE committee of public safety. F.,
which was appointed by the governor
when the state of war was declared |
consists of 81 prominent citizens of |
the state, who are adopting every pos
sible method to prepare and secure
the state during the war. A sub-com- |
mittee of this committee, with Ex-Gov. |
Gates as chairman, is in charge of |
food production and conservation.
This committee feels the import