Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-02-18
FOOD DIRECTOR DEEMS BUSY
EXPLAINING NECESSITY OF
DRASTIC MEASURE.
NO FLOUR IN NINETY a.
DAYS UNLESS OBSERVED
ouestien 10 One Of Eeonomizins Now
or Going Without Latsr, en-osalsrs
s Warned Not 70 Attempt to lnersass
d Wheat Flour salss-No Serious
Hardship IL Al Cooperate.

Burlington, Feb 1S.--Since the food
conservation work was entered upon
in Iowa, no other thing has been the
subject Of 30 much discussion and IN
quiry as the fifty fifty" rule. Thou
'sanR Of letters, hundreds Of kilograms
and hundreds of telephone messages
have been received at headquartere'
until 1t became impossi BILE Ito keep up
with the stream OF correspondence ana
Inquiries. And now bulletin has been
issued in many thousands OF copies,
in order to help many to proper I'M
Outstanding Of the motive OF our gov
eminent In making what Is generally
known as the "fifty-ffty" rule, or tho
regulation requiring the purchase and
consumption Of an equal amount OF
certain substitutes with each pound OF
wheat -four purchased or consumed.
The government is not attempting
to impose hardship on anyone; out
on the contrary Is doing Its best 10
help the people conserve the very limit
ed amount of wheat and wheat flour
now available for consumption, thus
averting a real hardship later on.
The wheat and milling division OF the
food administration recently stated
that il we continue our usual rate OF
consumption Of wheat -four. the en-
tire supply on hand will be exhaust
ed in less than ninety days. and the
country would then be on basis OF
"suhstitutes' only.
The government felt It to be Its
duty to do everything in ITS power to
obviate this calamity, and hence
adopted the fifty-ffty substitute
scheme as the best device at hand.
1.-THE shipment Of wheat -four to the
soldiers at the front Is an imperative
duty and the government will sfulnh
this duty to the letter, and they are
trying to do their utmost to make the
situation as easy as possible for those
Of us who are spared the hardships
and dangers of the men at the front,
From day to day it will grow more
difficult for jobbers, retailers. and con-
sumers to secure wheat -four ltne
term wheat Hour as used here covers
straight wheat flour and war four);
hence the dealer who does anything
to increase his flour sales, or who faiis
to insist on the observance of the fifty-
fifty regulation Is only standing In ms
own light; or in other words. he Is
only fooling himself by Fastening the
day when he will have no -four to sell.
I'm this crisis, we urge not only the
use Of the recommended substitutes In
accordance with the government regu-
latlons, but the increased use Of vese-
tables and fruits Of all kinds that are
obtaina.ble.
with all that the government Il
asking as to do and q all the other
things we can do, no serious hardships
will be imposed and our condition Will
be so much better than that Of the
civilian population Of al European
countries. 1t wclld seem that we should
be eager to do our full share In order
to avert more serious conditions. il not
real hardships later on. to say nothing
of our duty to our boys over there
and our patriotic duty in the greatest
crisis our country has ever faced.
u. +. Deems.
United States Food Administrator
for Iowa"