The Wilmington morning star., 1943-03-29
GUY A, CARDWELL
General Agricultural Agent
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
rOmnanv

The winning of the war and the
production of ample food are two
pressing problems around which
many other present-day problems
revolve. Inasmuch as the secretary
of agriculture is responsible for food
production, any utterance OF ms on
the subject is of interest and I'M
portance. l am, therefore, conf
dent that the following statement
February 25) credited to Mr.. Wick
ard will interest you:
Secretary Wickard said in a
statement that from time to time he
plans to make public the facts about
the supply of food for civilians. He
feels that the American people II
they know the facts can be trusted
to help manage their food wisely.
The food supply situation today
warrants neither complacence nor
hysteria. 1t is going to be necessary
for them to adjust food buying and
eating habits. With the beginning
of point rationing of processed fruits
and vegetables, we enter a new
phase of wartime living. By careful
MANAGEMENT we shall all have all
that we need to eat, even if we have
to forego some of the food that we
would like to eat. The announce
ment of the point values of canned
vegetables and fruits has made 1t
clear how much or how little -
of these products will be available in
the next month to each family,
about half as much as the large
amounts we have been getting in
recent years. This Is because these
products are required to feed our
fighting men. In the month ahead,
those who depend on processed veg
etables that they may buy with
their points and the fresh vegeta.
bles in the market, should be care
full to stretch their buying over the
month. With the exception of car
rots, vegetables will not be very
plentiful during March. The fruit
situation is more favorable.
"The overall picture, for the year
ahead, looks about the same as it
has for some time. The most no.
table change has been in dried peas
and beans. We started 1943 with
record supply, but it soon became
that the needs for ship
ment to fighting fronts, and for ac-
reserves of these easily
stored foods against future contin-
gencies would take more than we
had calculated in early January.
Our Russian allies need 5 million
bags of beans out of our total of %
million bags for their troops. Civil
ians will receive about pounds less
per person of these foods than they
did last year 1t makes sense to fur-
nish beans and peast to Russia ana
to ration our civilians at an ade-
uuate level. We must see to it that
there is enough food left at home
to give our civilians an adequate
diet. Even if we reserved no food
for our own armed forces or our
allies. civilians could buy and eat
all that could possibly be produced
Of many basic foodstuffs. AS a whole
the American people are better fed
now than they have ever been. Ev-
en- though we overcome all the diff
ficulties and reach the food produc-
tion goals set, the civilian per cap
ita supply Of food will be less than
the years near-record civilian sup
ply. But 1t will be about the same in
total nutritive value as the supply
in the average pre-war year. While
sending large supplies to the fronts,
civilians will have for themselves ar
even larger supply than in 1912 Of
grains Except rice), poultry and
potatoes.
"The per capita civilian supply of
meat, fluid milk, eggs. fresh fruits,
dry beans and peas will be about the
same or slightly lower than in 1912.
The civilian per capita supply Of
fish, cheese, fats and oils, condensed
and evaporated milk, rice, CONNER
cially grown fresh vegetables, sugar,
coffee and cocoa will be lower than
In 1912 and some of these supplies
may even fall below the pre-war
level. This Is assuming that produce
ton goals for 1943 will be met. The
people are full partners in the war
time management Of food. The black
markets that have sprung up over
the country have been compared to