Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-05-18
800 Million Face
Famine, Hoover Says
In Appeal for Food
BY the Associated Press

| ~ he HssSS'0toG TtSss
CHICAGO, May 18.-More than
one-third of the people of the
world are faced with the grim
NEST specter of famine in all the
history of the world" Herbert
Hoover said last night in a Ma
tion-wide appeal for greater
voluntary self-denial to provide
food for the famine areas.
Reporting in a Nation wide broad
cast on his 35,000-mile tour through
Is countries, the former President
warned that in most of the hunger
ridden areas covered in this global
food survey only 30-day food sup
ply existed.
Hunger hangs over the homes of
more than 8O0,O00,0OO people-over
one-third of the people of the
EARTH" Mr.. Hoover declared, adding,
1--WE can save these people from the
worst if we will"
Needs Are Cited.
He said the global food study in
dicated that by pairing the needs
of hungry nations to a minimum
there is gap" of 100000 tons
between needs and exportable sup
plies of breadstuffs.
Mr.. Hoover did not discuss ration
ing of food, but he proposed two
methods: Still more intensive con-
servation of breadstuffs and fats in
North America and the marketing
OF every grain of cereal on farms.
Mr.. Hoover warned that unless
more food is shipped to the war
ravaged countries, millions will be
condemned to a diet like that of
prisoners in the Nazi concentration
camps at Buchenwald and Belsen.
The first applause during his ad-
dress came when he asserted, I'VE
do not want the American flag fly
ing over nationwide Buchenwalds,
therefore we include the enemy
countries in our relief"
Let me say that to keep 500 900
American boys In garrison among
starving women and children is un-
thinkable. 1t is impossible be-
cause, being Americans, they will
share their own rations with hum
cry children; it is impossible be-
cause hunger brings the total de-
struction of all morals; it is impos-
sible because of the danger to
American boys Of sweeping infec-
tious diseases, which rise with
famine.
1T is unthinkable because we do
not want our boys machine cunning
famished rioters"
Anderson Lauds Hoover.
Secretary of Agriculture Ander-
son. after lauding the former Presi-
dent as "a great humanitarian who
twice before assumed world leader
ship in time of famine" said that
farmers this week are bringing
their grain at the rate of $500 900
bushels daily.
Earlier, Secretary Anderson said
in a press conference, I'VE are not
now contemplating consumer ra-
tlonlng" and that he expected Latin
American and Russian aid to pre-
vent world famine.
Secretary Anderson declared that
he was mot too worried" about a
miller Spokesman's prediction that
"a per cent of the Nations flour
mills would be shut down by June
because of lack of wheat to process.
He said, THE mills are allowed to
mill up to IS per cent of normal"
and instead of any consumer ration
ing, industry rationing probably
would accomplish the equivalent.
"On this journey have seen much
which I could criticize as to the
management of the famine relief"
Mr.. Hoover said. IT criticized
such matters to many officials
in the world frankly. could
criticize them bitterly. But, after
every boiling of inward indig-
nation at men and at nations, I
come back again and again to the
fact that millions are in grave
danger of starvation.
Hunger Turks in Figures.
In appraising the world situation
could give you reams of figures Of
rations, of calories or tons of this
and that, for every country and each
district. I could give you their
stocks of food on hand, in transit,
and the further need of each famine
area. I could give it by the month,
or for the crisis. I could give the
time required for ship transport,
with details of port, railroad and
truck capacities for distribution.
This sort of detailed informa ton
would convey little to you, but it is
full Of meaning in the lives of men,
women and children to my COL
leagues and myself. For in these
figures turks the certainty of hunger
to hundreds of millions, and even
the specter of mass starvation be-
fore this crisis is passed. Rather
than such details, time requires that
give you a global picture, in the
hope that it will convey to you the
gravity of the situation and the need
for our utmost further effort.
Il have said before that calories
are the yardstick of hunger, of star
walton, of famine and finally death
And may remind you that an aver
age of 1900 calories per person per
day is the minimum in nation for
healthy human beings. And do re-
member that we Americans, the
British, the Canadians, the Aus
tralians, the Swedes, the Argentina
ians and most of the Western Henri
sphere are consuming over 1900 cal
cries per day right now.
Caloric Yardstick.
IF these 800,0O0,000 people should
receive no more relief, and If we as
sumo that their own remaining re-
sources could be evenly distributed,
which they could not, the measure Of
their hunger with the caloric yard
stick is about as follows:
about 100000, 900 people would be
reduced to the 2,00O-calory level.