Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-02-28


In the publicity matter sent out by
the food administration is the dope"
given below and which we are asked
to publish While we approve of
much of the work of this administra-
ton and believe that its service is
largely beneficial, We do not deem it
above criticism. Nor do we feel that
it is unpatriotic to call such admins
tration's attention to its perfectly OBJ
vious blunders and inconsistencies:
"'Is there any law against my killing
one of my own chickens and serving it
for dinner tomorrow?
This question has been asked the food
administration officials here. The house
wife was told there is no law to prohibit
one from killing ones own chickens or
from buying one thai has been killed.
The ruling in regard to killing hens
and pullets applies to licensed dealers in
poultry. This ruling was made In an ef-
fort 10 increase the supply OF eggs.
Every hen killed in the next two months
means loss to the nation OF about 80
eggs.
Individual owners, however, are urged
not to slaughter their hens before May
LIST. There is no law to prohibit it; it Is
matter for one to settle with his own
conscience, for by killing a hen he is dis
regarding war measure. The Food Ad-
nnistration hopes that every person will
live up to the spirit of the regulation
whether there is a law or not
The idea that any poultryman or
farmer is liable to kill hen that is
laying, with eggs five cents apiece, is
preposterous; but the bald statement,
by these experts" that every hen
loss to the nation of about 80 eggs
is absolutely silly. And we believe il
is high time to tell them SO.
OF course there is no law preventing
poultry keepers from eating their own
poultry, but the food administration
ruling applying to dealers just as eff
fectually shuts off wise disposal of fowl
that will not lay profitably through the
spring months and worth more as food
today than they ever will be again, to
say nothing of feeding them the grain
that our allies need" at 81 hundred
pounds.
OF course the consuming masses IN
the cities know as little about it as the
food administration is demonstrating
that it knows, but thousands OF poultry
raisers, and farmers everywhere are
not only Disguised with the folly of it
all but are made bitter by the injustice
Of meddling to show authority or to
please class that went after some
thing--and got it.
We give specimen letter from a
poultry farmer, out of the thousands
that are flooding the newspapers:
BY what process Of reasoning does Mr..
Hoover or any other man conclude tina.
such an order will result in the Matching
of more chicks? 1t will have the opposite
effect.
Pcultrymen and farmers have long ago
laid their plans and made up their breed
ing pens and are keeping sufficient laying
birds to give all the eggs they intend to
use for Matching, so they will not hatcn
an additional chick by reason of this or
der
All the order will accomplish is to entail
loss on the owners of the hens.
These hens are not laying sufficiently
TO pay their keep and are being carried
at loss of $40 or sl5 a month per 100
birds. To carry these birds to May l VIII
cause the owners a loss of about $50 per
10" birds. When May | arrives the mar
ket will promptly be glutted, causing
further loss. Between now and May I
each hen will eat about seven quarts of
grain besides mill feeds. We now have
shortage of grain.
1t would be the course Of wisdom to al
Low these birds TO be sold, killed and
eaten. Then the owners would not suffer
loss and the money spent for feed and
the grain eaten by these hens could be
used to feed the chicks Matched this
spring. As reported. Mr.. Hoover's order
relates only to hens. The purchase and
killing of ROSTERS is not prohibited Now
] would Ike to ask Mr.. Hoover a ques-
ton: If the owners of these hens sell or
kill their roosters SO that there are no
ROSTERS to run with these hens. how
many chicks do YOU think will be Matched
frcm the eggs laid by the aforesa id hens?
G.. F. SHEPARD.
Stafford Springs, Conn. February is.
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