Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1918-11-20
The American People Must
Conserve Food.

the new problems OF the Food Admin
istration that have arisen since the
armistice was signed. The impression
prevailed among many people that
there would be no further work for
the Food Administration after the
war was won, but the necessity for
the conservation of food now is even
more imperative than it has been
since the war began. There are more
than 200,000,000 people in Europe
who must be supplied with large
part of the food they consume and
70 per cent. of this food is expected
from America. Unless this food is
upplied, there will be millions of
persons who will succurnb to disease
this winter because of their depleted
physical condition, rendering them
easy prey of all forms Of disease.
1t is said that there are no children
now in Serbia, Poland and Roumania
under seven years of age, the high
rate of mortality being due to lack
of proper diet. The mortality among
old women in these countries has
been especially high, due to lack
of proper nutrition. The worlds sup
ply of fats is especially low and 70
per cent. of the needed fats in the
form of condensed milk, cheese, oils
and meats must be furnished by the
United State. In order to meet the
great demand that will be made on
our national storehouses, there must
be the most rigid conservation. A
most inspiring address was made by
Mr.. Franklin w. Fort of Washington,
before the conference in Columbia
yesterday, setting forth the reasons
why our people should conserve food
in every form. Mr.. Fort said it is now
a "crime against civilization for
man to rise from the table with
tight belt strap"
There will not be any shortage in
flour before the next harvest, as there
are vast quantities of wheat in Aus
tralia, Argentine and Russia that can
now be moved with the submarines
eliminated and the merchant vessels
released from war transportation.
Furthermore, owing to the guaran-
teed price by the government, which
is profitable to the wheat growers of
the West, it is estimated that the next
crop of wheat will be the largest this
country has ever harvested. There
will also soon be an adequate supply
of sugar available, and if England,
France and Italy do not greatly in
crease sugar consumption, this coun-
try will return to a normal basis. 1t
is probable that early in December
the allowance will be raised to four
pounds per capita, which is about
as much as our people should con-
sumo at any time.
The Food Administrator in Wash
ington has issued emphatic orders to
the effect that profteering in every
form be prohibited, and to this end
Mr.. Elliott has employed two addi-
tional inspectors, making four for
the State. Their visits will be more
frequent and their Investigations
more thorough. Edgefeld county mer-
chants are patriotic and have not
been guilty of over charging, except
probably in few instances, which
was due more to ignorance than to
willful violation and was stopped as
soon as the merchants were informed.
Mr.. Elliott will send to every retail
merchant in South Carolina in few
days list of prices showing margin
of profit allowed on certain commod-
tiles and these prices will be rigidly
enforced.
Recently there has been a read
justment of prices of cotton seed
meal and hulls, the prices as>fxed by
the Food Administration in Washing
ton being uniform throughout the
cotton belt, On account of the de-
crease in the demand for hulls, being
no longer used in the manufacture OF
explosives, the price has been re-
duced from $40 to SIG per ton, and
in order to offset this reduction in
the profits realized from seed by the
mills, the price of meal has been in
creased to $55 per ton. Had not the
increase been made, the price of seed
would have been lowered. The Food
Administration lis convinced that II
the government were not now regula-
ting the price of seed and meal, seed
would be much lower and meal much
higher, probably around $50 per ton.
The Food Administration A is arrang-