Mexico Missouri message., 1918-06-06
MORALE OF CIVILIAN PoPULA.
TloN MUST BE MAINTAINED
IF WAR IS TO BE WON.
EUROPE NOW SHORT OF FOOD
Dairy Industry Has Been Hardest Hit
Of Any In Countries Over
run by huns.

not also to be maintained in strength
Hoover said recently in a communica
ton to F. b. Mumford, Federal Food
Administrator for Missouri. AL
Europe is now short of food, he added
in telling Of conditions in the war
stricken countries overrun by Ger
many.
"H you could stand in the middle OF
Germany today and survey the land to
the borders Of Europe you would dis
cover its whole population Of 400 mil
lion human beings short of food" said
Mr.. Hoover Where Germany has
overrun the borders, millions of people
in Poland, Finland, Serbia, Armenia
and Russia are actually dying of star
walton and other millions are suffer.
| ing from under-nutrition. Still others
of these millions outside the German
lines-that is, the Allies and neutrals
are living on the barest margins
that will support life and strength.
This, the most appalling and dread
full thing that has come to humanity
since the dawn of civilization, is to me
the outstanding creation of German
militarism, yet the Germans them
selves are not the worst sufferers.
They are extorting at the cannon's
mouth the harvests and cattle of the
people they have overrun, leaving
them in desolation.
81 am convinced that If the war
were to cease tomorrow the toll of ac-
tual dead from starvation and It's at
tendant diseases within the German
lines would double or treble the 5,O00,-
600 or 100000 men who have been
actually killed by Germany and her
allies in arms. The 100000 people
in occupied Belgium and Northern
France would have died of starvation
had 1t not been for the action of the
nations at war with Germany in the
maintenance for these people of pit,
| liable relief. But this Is only one part
OF the whole story Of misery, for the
sinking OF the worlds shipping is re-
verberating privation in some direc-
tion into severy corner of the globe.
Dairy Industry Hardest Hit.
"Of all the food Industries of Europe,
there is none which has been stricken
by the war as the dairy produce. The
human race through scores of thou
sands Of years has developed a total
dependency upon cattle for the rear
ing Of its young. No greater catas-
trophe can happen to people than
the loss Of its dairy herds, for the total
loss Of dairy produce means the ulti-
mate extinction of a people.
The German people supported their
herds by the import of feedstuffs from
their neighbors. This being cut off by
war, their produce in meat and milk
would have fallen to a low ebb indeed
had they not supported themselves 10
considerable degree by stealing the
cattle Of the populations they have
overrun. / have had Polish and Ser
bian cattle in German pastures point
ed out to me with pride by German Of
ficers. l witnessed for years the steal
ing OF Belgian and French cattle. In
Belgium alone the herds diminished
from 100000 to 100000 in three
months Of German occupation.
Condensed Milk Sent Across.
zone of the first duties of the Relief
Commission was to undertake the im-
port of milk in order that these chill
dren might be saved. We found that
In the terror under which these people
lived the average period of breast
feeding was fewer than four months.
We have, therefore, for nearly four
years been sending them American
condensed milk, not in single cans,
but by scores of thousands of tons.
There has been scarcely child born
IN the North of France, and many in
Belgium, whose continued life has not
been dependent during all this period
upon American condensed milk. Every
American would be thrilled could he
but sec the gratitude which French
mothers daily express over the pitt
able ration which enables their chill.
dren to survive. This stealing Of neigh
boring cattle by Germany will now,
with Russia at her mercy, go on with
wa "SNSASAo obSu paSC' OO uOl ltl uS
deceive ourselves that any shortage
Of her own cattle will bring the war to
an end.
"All this is an exhibit of the char
acter Of forces from which we are
struggling to purge the world. To do
this, therefore, we must concern our
selves daily with the food situation in
the Allied countries Our obligations
to them are not only as matter of
humanity but as matter of their
maintenance in our common struggle,
1t is worse than folly tosput 100000
OF our boys into France if the civilian
population Of the Allies are not also
to be maintained in strength and mo
rale with our food We are also inter
ested in the neutral countries from the
Point OF common humanity"