Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-13
EO0D-SAV|NG PLAN
|NTALY A SUCCESS
People Cheerfully Submit to All
Restrictions Made by
Government.
WOMEN RESPOND READILY
Abandon Time-Honorcd Recipes
and Prepare Less Costly
Dishes.
WOMEN RESPOND READILY
by c. CIANFARRA.

ROME. January 12.-The food saving
campaign is in full swing. and from
the results already obtained ii can be
said that the casy-going. merry Ital-
ian people have chcerfully submitted
to all the restrictions the government
has deemed IL wise to impose on tn"
consumption Of many articles. which,
from time imncmorial. have been the
chief ingredient OF the Italian diet
The movement tending TO bring home
to the population the necessity Of eat
Ing less and utilize in II more scientific
and rational way the little that Is
available under the card system. vas
started in earnest as soon a. Professor
Nit,i was appointed Treasury Minister
and the commissioner Of supplies pla ccd
under his personal and direct super
vision.
The alleged unsolvaJle problem OF
how to induce the average Italian
housewife TO abandon the time honorcd
recipes and prepare less expensive. but
as nourishinE. dishes. has proved the
easiest 10 solve.
Italy has large rural population
residing in nearly 5000 small towns and
villages. SiGnor Nitti conceived the
idea to cnl!s; for successful con-
duct Of tn. rood-scving campaign the
services Of mos, Of the officials 10 each
commune Ia the pay Of either the state.
the province or tho commune itself.
CIRCULAR. GIVES
COMPLETE ADNICES
The instructions that this vas; army
Of workers wcr. u impart 20 all arc
embodied in ministerial circular.
D'Sides humber Of practical dircc-
;ions on how TO prevent wasiaEc Of
any nature. and on how 10 prepare new
dishes. the circular deals also on the
best way to utilize the products Of the
farms and gardens
The result, Of this part OF the cam
paiGn is that this winter. for tho first
time III the memory OF living men. in
thousands OF peasants homes and huts
tn. dried fruit soup. for the children
and the women 81 least. Will replace
the usual spaghetti or rice or bean
soup, which tog ether with Il good thick
slice OF bread, formed the chief meal
OF the dag. and MAS generally eaten in
the evening. Dried bread crumbs.
which when bread was cheaper and
abundant. often went into the domestic
animal trough. VIII also hc utilized
and replace rice and nour products In
the daily soup Of the .scasan,.
BREAD-TICkET SYSTEM
REDUCES CEREAL USE
In the cities enormous quantities OF
cereals are already being saved
through the Introduction Of the bread
ticket system for rice and -four prod
ucts. The card. which had been chiefly
devised for bread, is now being used
in many cities. Romc included for
the distribution OF these TWO articles
only. The Italian is above all chiefly
a bread-cating people. and inasmuch
as the government never considered IL
prudent 10 restrict the consumption OF
bread, especially for the peasant and
tho workinGman. il did the next best
thing-rcstrictcd the consumption OF
four products. The reason is obvious.
Bread cannot be boarded up or KEEP;
longer than TWO days, while spaghetti
and rice can be kept for months with
out undergoing any decay
Under the card system. the months,
ration OF spa sl.ctti has been limited TO
three pounds and few ounces for
each infant or adult member of the
family, and rice to two pounds and q
few ounces. When il is considered
that last year the monthly consump-
ton or spaghetti averaged in many
provinces, over ten pounds per month
it will hc easily clear 10 all that no
strictcr measure could be taken. and
'hat tho Italian people is bearing more
IMAM It's share OF sacrifices.