The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-01-25
MR.. HOOVER'S STATEMENT
ON FOOD SITUATION
To Members of the United States
Food Administration:

Food Administration:
The food situation i'll Europe is far
graver than when the preliminary
survey of the food supply of the
world for this year was made. We
have an abundance ourselves, and it
is the firm policy OF the Food Ad-
ministration, by the prevention of ex-
ports, to retain for our people an am
pie supply of every essential food
stuff. The harvests of our associates
in the war have proved less than we
had contemplated and the great cur
tailment of shipping by the subma-
rine during the last few months has
further prevented them from access
to more remote markets. Beyond
the demands of our associates in the
war there is a call upon us by the
friendly neutrals for food supplies,
and if we cannot at least in part re-
spond to these neutral calls, starva-
ton on an unparalleled scale must
ensue.
Food has now taken dominant
position in the war, and we must ask
the American people to sacrifice far
more than was at first thought neces-
sary. We have exported the whole
OF the surplus of the wheat from this
harvest after reserving to ourselves
an amount sufficient for our normal
consumption of seed and flour until
the next harvest, and therefore the
amount of wheat flour that the
United States can contribute to mix
with the war bread of our associates
IN the war during this winter will be
simply the amount that our people
reduce their consumption month bv
month. In other words, every grain
Of wheat or its products that our as
soclat"s III the war receive from the
United States from now on will be
exactly the amount which our people
nave saved each month on their be-
half.
Our associates in the war TODAY ask
Tor Is per cent more meat and fats
(pork, dairy products and vegetable
oils) than we consider our monthly
production permits us to send them
without trenching on our own sup
Plies, or, on the other hand. unless
we can consume less. Due to the
shortage in shipping, Our available
sugar supplies must be less than
normal from the present time for
ward.
thus every particle of diminished
consumption by the American peo-
pie is one particle more for the SOL
diers, men, women and children, of
our associates in the war and for the
starving people in other countries
his 81 a personal obligation upon
everyone of us toward some indiyid-
ual abroad who will suffer privation
to the extent of our own individual
negligence.
II we are to reduce the consunp-
ton of the few products which we
should export abroad, we will need
to eat a larger proportion of manv
different fodstuffs which we cannot
| export and which we have at home
For this reason we MUST NOT
waste ANY foodstuffs. A great
many individuals in our population
eat tar more food than is necessary
TO maintain their health and strength,
IN this emergency only the simplest
OF living is patriotic. We want no
person in the United States to eat
less than is required for good health
and full strength, for this emergency
America requires every atom of the
productive power of our people.
"hlle many can eat less, all of our
population can substitute other food
stufts for the few that are vitallv
needed for export.
We must not overlook the fact that
Russia collapsed not because of the
Germans on her borders but largely
because of the failure to organize
and teed her own citizens, and, if we
are to emerge victorious from This
war, we cannot risk the collapse Of
another OF our associates in the war
from this same cause. There is no
waste of food among any of our as
soc1ates i'll the war-there is the moot
drastic reduction in their consumn-
tion; there is actual privation among
their women and children: there ;s
starvation in Belgium.
We have already issued series Of
suggestions in the Home Card
cara that is now hanging in over ten
millions OF homes These suggestions
nave already shown important re-
suits, and to these we now add 9TH
ers. The problem of saving in food
is local and individual one, so that