Atlanta semi-weekly journal., 1918-02-01
HOOVER ASKS FOR
POWER TO ENFORCE
FOOD CONSERVATION
.EnumerateS Regulations Which
He Would Have Congress
Enact Into Orders Through
Power Given Administrator

ne Is not given the power 10 enforce 1000
conservation in tho country, congress
alone shall bear the grave responsi-
biIitics" Tor failure Of the food pro-
gram
Voluntary conservation, Hoover said
in a letter TO Representative sydney
Anderson OF the house agricultural COM
nittee, is showing wonderful results.
But he adds, there are the minority Of
unpatriotic who discourage the faith
fuI and who canont be reached except
by legislation.
Hoover declared in his letter that he
wants the powers TO enforce the fol-
lowing:
wheatIess and other less days per
week.
Forbidding use OF foodstuffs in non
food products.
Iimitations on food served in public
eating places.
Control of distribution that all classes
and localities may fare a - e and that
unnecessary consumption should be pre-
vented
Control of use OF foodstuffs in food
manufacture with view TO eliminating
the less essential manufactures.
Control of commodities for the pro-
duction and preservation of foodstufts
IN order TO prevent great losses or mill
ttary sacrifices.
Public Eating Places
while il is vitality necessary TO reg
uiate ths consumption of food in public
eating places" Hoover wrote Anderson
they consume on various estimates,
from twelve to twenty percent of the
total focdstuffs and il they were re-
duced out of all reason they would not
solve the problem. Some method must
be devised which will cover much
wider area Of consumption.
TT appeared to me that We should
attack the points of unnecessary con
sumption of foodstuffs. BY these means
ve can place the burden where it be
longs-on the luxuries Of the greedy.
and not upon the poor This implies
some further measures of control IN
distribution and non-essential use. lt
YOU will give the whole problem study
I believe you will find that somewhere
in the nation we consume or destroy
over 30 per cent more food than we
need for health and strength, and that
this margin. il il can be implemented.
will supply all allied demands. But We
should not draw il from that class 10
which economy and moderate use is a
daily necessity.
Take. for example. the case of sugar.
the shortage in which will. we hop :.
not excede ten per cent We should
be able TO accomplish this by a re-
ductiOn in the manufacture of confec-
tionery and sweet drinks Of, say, 20
per cent. and these very manufacturers
could substitute other things and main
tain their volume of production.
Sugar Reductions
During the recent shortage we made
q patriotic appeal to such manufactur-
ers 70 reduce their consumption Of sugar
by fifty per cent and placed it at this
figure because we did not wish to de-
str0y the livelihood OF 250.OOO women
and girls pending fuller supplies of
sugar. I have specifically before me tn
case of one very large manufacturer
who followed this suggestion implicitly,
only to find that over a score of manu-
facturers of imitation goods sprang up
on all sides. supplied the trade to his
great damage and loss. and we were
powerless to give him any protection in
his patriotic action. Surely it is better
that the conservation of sugar should
be made i'm the luxury trades and that
they should have protection in making
it. than that we should draw upon
household supplies
The recent experience with sugar
also serves 10 prove the necessity to
have some further powers in distribu-
ton. During the entire recent sugar
so per cent of normal consumption, yet
we had sporadic famines and privatior
all over the country because no or
ganized distribution could be effected
The greedy got the sugar and others
went without.
AS to conservation mea sures, neceS-
sary to apply to commodities needed
for the production and preservation OF
fOodstuffs. 4 may cite the case of am,
la fnH
maintain our cold storage warehouses
in which must repOse over $500, ,0O0 09C
worth of food from time TO time. The
production of ammonia in 1917 was
about l30,OO0,OOO pounds; of this the
demands of the army and navy for ex-
plosives purposes are estimated to us
as being 10000, 900 pounds per annum
and the amount necessary to maintain
cold storage warehouses is AZ, 900 OoC
pounds per annum. In other words. there
IS an absolute shortage of $4,000, ,O0C
pounds per annum at the present mo-
ment, which may later on be partially
reduced by increased production. Yet
ammonia Is being used to a very con-
siderable extent in the maintenance OF
skating rinks, in cold storage of furs
alcoholic drinks, household ammonia
etc. l think the war department has
recognized that the maintenance of the
food supply of our people and that they
may, therefore. themselves he Obliged
TO reduce the amount Of explosives man
ufactured and thereby possibly leopard
ize our military possibilities until pro-
duction can be built up.
Another typical case of this kind
lies in the question of the cans The
amount Of pig tin produced in the world
today is too little for the total de-
mands. We are able TO obtain only a
proportion Of the requirements for
manufacturing tin plate. The increased
demands for tin containers for our own
and allied armies render it absolutely
impossible TO maintain the supply to the
whole OF the tin Container users. IL
would seem to effect no great hardships
on the American people If the use of Tin
plate and tin foil in toilet articles, and
for containers in such other articles
which can be established in either glass
or paper cartons, were limited. We
are. however, powerless today TO effect
,these measures except so far as they
can be done voluntarily. I feel certain