Evening star., 1918-03-30
Must Begin at the Top.

luxurious foods must begin at the top
of the social scale. not only to set an
example. but because the industrial
population is dependent to large eN-
tent on bakers bread. which must have
a considerable proportion of wheat to
be durable. Therefore ne asked the no.
tells whose patrons are people OF wealth,
to set an example to their clientele ana
other public eating places by refusing
to serve any wheat whatever until tne
new crop comes in, using other cereals
and potatoes instead
Our wheat acreage" Mr.. Hoover con-
tinued, this year will be greater than
ever before, and if the Lord is good to
US in the matter of weather. our am
culties will be at end by September l.
That is not a long period of sacri-
fice'
The reply was an outburst of ap-
plause which died away as John NICE.
Bowman of New York. head of the
food Administrations hotel division,
stood up.
"How many will rise with me to
signify they will comply with the
chiefs reouest?" Mr. Bowman asked.
Every One Stood Up.
1t seemed as If every one in the hall
rose simultaneously. waving flags
taken from the luncheon tables, and
cheering with abandon We have
pledged ourselves to save wheat Tor
victory" Mr.. Bowman announced when
quiet was restored.
DR.. Alonzo Taylor. the food admins
tration's representative on the War
Trade board. told the hotel men wheat
was not a necessary element of diet.
but luxury. which people have grown
to prefer because of the superior ap-
: the convenience with which it can be
shipped and prepared. The latter rea-
son made it necessary to send wheat
instead of other grains to the allies.
Wheat has no advantage in nutrition
OF taste over corn, barley. rice or other
cereals" DR.. Taylor declared. "and the
patron who comes to you with the de-
mand that he must have wheat and
can't eat substitutes is either Stacker
or crank-and we must not humor
either.
The breakdown in the German food
distribution system, I discovered when
in Germany for the Department of
Agriculture, was due to the fact that
the system was administered for the
upper classes, who could get hams at
$50 each. butter at IS a pound and
other delicacies at the best hotels if
they had the money to pay. The poor
people could not pay and were forced
TO suffer. There was a great contrast
were the first to cut off their menus
the food needed for the soldiers and the
Industrial workers in war factories"
Calls for Sacrifice Here.
Mr.. Hoover made it clear that success
in rationing the allies could not be acfliev-
ed other than by sacrifice in the United
States.
I'VE had all expected. Mr.. Hoover stat
ed. that the Argentine supply would be
available in Europe before this time
Those supplies will not arrive for another
two months in quantity. and even then
will be less than was expected. The con-
sequence Ia that the supply of breadstuffs
In Europe is at its lowest ebb. There is
but one source OF supply. and that is the
United States,
Every shipment of wheat that we
can send from our ports Is a shipment
saved from the Argentine. Every shiI
can do double the duty from our ports
that it can do from the Argentine. The
allies. within the last few days have ask.
ed US to send reinforcements larger anG
faster than We had anticipated. I assure
you that II we are to give them that we
must draw these ships from the Ar
gentine and put them into American
ports.
Wheat is a durable grain. From the
point of view of interallied feeding
wheat is absolutely vital. It is the one
grain that we have that will stant
shipment. Up to this time the allie:
have used some 80 to 40 per cent o.
corn in their bread. After this, If they
are to be fed, they must be fed OF
wheat bread or none at all.
Civil Morale at Low Ebb.