The Benson signal., 1918-02-02
Success in War ImperiIed if
American Homes Do Not
Come to Rescue.
HUN PROPAGANDA AT WORK
Stories Alleging PIentitude of Food
in Allied Countries Jeopardize
Cause of AIIies-Correspon
dent Tells Of Conditions
in France.

Washington. - irresponsible state
mentS from unknown sources, purpOrt-
ing to show that there is. no food short
age in France and other allied Euro
pean countries, are creating wrong
impression in the public mind and Sc
riously hampering the governments
food conservation program, declares
the United States food administration.
The administration can only repeat
what it has said all along on the basis
of official government statistics:
There is a serious food shortage in
France, and in other allied European
lands,-shortag which, if not made
up by conservation in American homes
and shipments from American ports,
will imperil allied success in the war.
Any statement, innocent or mali
cious, which alleges a plentitude of
food over there is German propaganda,
pure and simple.
Get Wrong Impression.
Persons returning from Paris have
unintentionally jeopardized the cause
of the allies by giving American news
papers their flash impressions of food
conditions in France. Explaining how
this happens, Fred B. Pitney, Ameri-
can correspondent, recently returned
from France, said:
'I have kept house in Paris during
the war and I can speak from expert
ence. One learns a great deal when
keeping house of which one gets no
inkling when living in hotel and eat
ing in restaurants. One can always go
to a restaurant and get a meal.
81 have heard many visiting Ameri-
cans, who lived in France in that way,
pooh-pooh the idea that there was a
food shortage in the country. If those
same persons had had to search the
market before they had their meals,
they would have gained very differ
ent idea of the food situation.
1--WE paid last winter in Paris II
cents apiece for eggs and 81 a pound
for butter and there was frequently
neither butter, nor eggs nor milk to
be had. Private families were allow
ed to buy one-eighth of a pound Of
flour at a time. The grocers could not
sell -four, only the bakers"
The Meat Situation.
Scoffing at the idea that there is a
shortage in France, one article re-
Gently published in the United States
declared that a certain Paris meat
market advertised "beef la mode"
and other real meat items as "meat-
less day specials"
This, according to Pitney, may cas-
lily have occurred without at all indi-
eating that there was no meat shortage
in France. With regard to the meat
situation Pitney said:
"The French government is very bu-
reaucratic, but the French people do
not like to be 'overgoverned. They OBJ
ject seriously to anything that savors
of meddling in a mans private affairs.
"Saying how much or what man
shall eat is getting pretty close to pri-
vate affairs and therefore the French
government knowing intimately the
people it has to deal with, is slow
s-l-o-w-in coming to such measures
even in face Of the only too evident
food shortage in the country.
$50 far meat has withstood all eff
forts to control it's consumption-the
has been no attempt to control it's
price, and yet it is vitality necessary to
control the consumption of meat in
France or to increase the supply"
Herds Are Disappearing.
With regard to the published state
ment in this country that Frances
herds are sleek, fat and plentiful, Pit
ney said:
Frances herds are disappearing
rapidly. They are today far below the