The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-26
Will Not Export Any Foods
Until Home Demands
Are Filled
ARMY BEEF is NOT
/ FIT FOR PRIVATE SALE
War Department Official Says He
Would Like to See the Women Try
It-Cannot Find Purchasers in This
Country.

WASHINGTON, May 26.-Surplus
stocks of food which the eaGly ending of
the war left on the hands of the war de-
partment will not be sold for export I'M
til every effort has been made to market
them in this country for the benefit of the
consumer.
This assurance was given by w. G:
Hare, director of sales of the munitions
bureau. Mr. Hare declared with en-
phasis that this had been the intention of
the war department from the first and
that the general belief to the contrary
had been based on complete misappre-
hension OF the department problem
MIR. Hares assurance applies equally to
| the l40O00,000 pounds of canned meats
which already have been declared sur
| plus and to the still undetermined sur
plus of canned fruits and vegetables
SO far as all surplus food supplies are
concerned" Mr.. Hare said, severy effort
will be made TO sell in this country be-
| fore exporting a pound or can. But
even if the department is successful in
its effort to sell in this country the sur
tplus is SO great that doubtless there viii
remain large amount to be sold abroad
For weeks the department has sought
s purchasers of its surplus supplies OF
canned meats in this country We have
offered these meats at greatly reduced
prices to wholesale grocers' associations
farmers cooperative associations, retail
I'ers, municipal purchasing institutions
charitable institutions, large wholesale
grocery concerns, and to big packers Tn,
only interest which has been shown il
these offers to date comes from certain
big grocery concerns, which have stated
in few instances that they might pur
chase a part of the stock for export, pro
viding the prices are low enough
1--WE are now cideularizing the coun
try institutions, commercial houses ant
cooperative societies, offering this stool
for sale
1T must be understood that with thl
exception of the corned beef and corne,
beef hash, none of the meats is a com
mercial product, and including the corne
beef and corned beef hash no part of tn
stock could be offered on the marke
| without more or less expensive processe
4 pI Tepacklng, ldDellln8 etc.
{ Army grub even in peace time,
not calculated TO attract the epicurc G
: the fastidlous The canned beef and til
: bacon involved in this surplus stocg
l. while excellent fare for field army,
= not considered attractive enough for th
!. army on peace basis 1t is easy t
;. understand why dealers, knowing tn
: tastes OF their customers. are not inte
y ested in purchasing these stocks. Wha
n a man will eat when in the trenches {
in the woods, and what he viii orde
from his butcher and grocer are liable I
be two entirely different things
Il should like to send to the hons
wives who are being quoted as protes
le ing against the export Of these produe
l. couple of slabs Of the salty army b
p con and few cans of bully beef, and |,
n them try to feed them to the tired bus
D. ness man when he comes home at nigh
a 1--WE still hope to find market f
Is some of 1t, hut while seeking that ma
G. ket we are also looking toward an alte
y native. The conditions in the devastate
j. portions of Europe and among the star
II ing nations where real misery and hun
n ger such as this country has never know
TO do exist, seem to offer a market. W
V. have wired Mr.. Hoover asking him
ir he will be in the market for these stool
a i'll case they become available for G
NJ port. We have not heard from him"
The meat stocks already declared su
plus include approximately S7,5Q0,G
pounds Of beef in roughly painted. u
III labelled cans Of six pounds, y ounc
Il each 3G,350,0o0 pounds of eorned be
as similarly packed; 2o,8Go,ooo pounds
d corned beef hash in one pound and tv
a pound cans. and 1921 900 pounds
ne bacon cured especially salt to meet Il
DIS exigences OF field transportation al
storage.