The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-03-05
The World
Food Problem
By Herbert Hoover
(WNU Feature--Through special arrangement
with Golfers Weekly

There are more Horsemen that
follow modern war than at the time
the Apocalypse was written. In
modern total war, Famine and Pesti-
lence are accompanied by four new
recruits-whose names are Revolu-
tion, Unemployment, Suspicion and
Hate. These additional destroyers
make the job harder to manage.
That there is and will be famine
in this world of today, needs little
demonstration. Already 148, 000, 900
people in the occupied democracies
in Europe and Asia are short Of food;
millions of them are actually starv-
ing, and our Allies are obviously rum
ming on very short rations.
The Nazis' food supply is sufficient
for their evils of today. They are
working hordes of prisoners on the
farms and robbing some of the &C.
cupied territories. But their inter-
nal production will grow worse as
the war goes on and there is less
to steal from the subjected peoples.
In fact, the whole of Europe will
continue to degenerate in domestic
food supply. The reasons for that
are simple enough: Europe in
peacetime-and by Europe I mean
Britain and all of Europe excluding
Russia-has to import large amounts
of food for human beings. That is
now cut off by the blockade, except
to Britain, and some small amounts
to the neutral countries.
Decline in Field Crops.
On top of this, under the pressure
of total war, field crops decline year
by year. Manpower and horsepow-
er are increasingly drained to the
war; farm implements cannot be re-
placed; fertilizers are diverted to
explosives; planting is less effective,
and harvesting less perfect. Also,
the animals in Europe are in con-
siderable degree dependent upon inn
ported feed. In consequence of the
blockade, some part of the dairy and
breeding herds must be slaughtered
early in total war, and domestic feed
for the remaining animals decreases
because more fields must be turned
to direct food for humans-and still
more of the flocks and herds must
be slaughtered.
In the last war, the principal food
animals of Europe-cattle, hogs and
sheep-decreased by over 10000, 900
head, and that is again taking place.
The invaluable chicken vanishes,
and fishing is greatly diminished.
Thus the stream of animal products
steadily decreases. To all this must
be added the ravages of armies and
scorched-earth policies.
Nor will famine this time be linn
tied to Europe, for these causes are
also working in Asia and Russia.
It is difficult for Americans to
picture widespread hunger or star
walton. We have not had such a
thing in America.
What Starvation Means.
Nationwide hunger and starvation
mean grim suffering, incalculable
grief over whiting children, physical
degeneration, stunted growth, dis
torted, embittered minds and death.
It's lasting effect is one of degree
and time. Adults can recuperate
from months of undernourishment
Children can stand less. In fact, the
understood, ricketts,, and the death
rate among children are the sensi-
tive barometers of starvation. Not
even during our Civil war was there
a town or city where these effects
reached one-tenth of what they are
in certain cities of the occupied
democracies at this moment.
From all food shortages comes the
danger of pestilence. People do not
often die directly from starvation.
Their resistance is weakened and
they fall easy prey to contagious.
Moreover, people consume their
available fat supplies and have lit
tie or none left for soap. Uncleanli-
ness invites such scourges as typhus
which is transmitted by body lice.
There is another vital peril in this
question. Unless these masses Of
people in scores of nations can have
food and be protected from pesti-
lence, there can be no social or
political or spiritual stability upon
which peace can be built.
We had parallel experience with
this problem after the First World
war. In that famine, America bore
the major load of supplies, finance
and administration. Except for
American food preparedness there
would then have been the greatest
sacrifice Of human life in all history.
That America succeeded in its task
is evidenced by grateful statements
of every government in Europe.
No nation had ever undertaken
such mission before. We had to
pioneer through the thickets and
swamps of governmental, social,
financial and economic problems, in
Guiding human nature in the raw.
From that experience, we can make
some estimate as to the need next
time, the source of supplies, and the
strategy and tactics necessary to de-
feat both famine and pestilence and
TO set millions upon the road back