Evening star., 1947-09-17
We Must Eat Less Meat

ing itself as the Nation dizzily watches
the high-spiralng antics of food prices.
The present price crisis-for it has reached
truly critical stage-parallels closely the
inf1ationary ride which food costs took i'm
mediately after the close of World War l.
That upward flight defied the best efforts
of Government anti -profteering crusaders,
but it finally was arrested and started
downward-much too precipitously-by a
nationwide buyers strike that became
depression.
Today the cry is being raised on every
side for consumers revolt against the
steadily rising prices of market items, es-
pecially meat. And this time we are made
conscious of the fact that eating less will
help avert the threat of starvation in
Europe this winter. Acting Secretary of
Agriculture Norris Dodd, just back from
the Food and Agriculture Organization
Conference in Geneva, warns that Western
Europe may collapse from hunger unless
the American people voluntarily agree to
eat less meat. Less meat consumed he
points out, means less grain fed to cattle,
hogs and poultry, and more life-saving
bread for war-stricken Europeans. Secre-
tary of Commerce Hartman paints a
similar picture of our obligations abroad
and of the need for self-denial here.
Chester Davis, of the Presidents Commit
tee .on Foreign Aid, concurs in these dire
estimates. All of these authorities foresee
the crash of democratic governments and
the spread of communism If we fail to eat
less and to send more food overseas.
In response to such urgent and alarming
pleas the District Commissioners follow
ing the example set by Mayor Dwyer of
New York City. now call on the people of
Washington to return to the meatlesS days
plan which proved to be so effective in
1919 and 1920 But to be as effective today
as it was after the first World War, the
plan will require something more than the
urgings of officials or the warnings of
communistic inroads in Western Europe.
on the part Of the consumers approaching
the firm qualities exhibited by indignant
householders in the winter of 1919.
The buying public took action in it's own
behalf in those days only after Federal
efforts to bring prices down through legis-
lative and administrative remedies proved
futile. Among those Government measures
were establishment of wartime fair
price committees, publication of fair-price
lists and Investigations by flying squad
rons" OF Federal agents. But prices of
meat and other commodities continued up
until an active consumers resistance
movement developed in 1920. Womens
and other clubs led in a drive which be-
came so widespread that demand for goods
drastically fell off, supply exceeded demand
and prices started to tumble
Something of that kind may be in the
making now. Undoubtedly the American
public has been eating on a scale which
could well stand a bit of lowering. If the
average family were to forgo only some
of the fancier cuts of meat which it has
been demanding, If few more stews and
meat loafs were substituted for chops and
sirloin steaks, the effect on meat prices
undoubtedly would be substantial. It
begins to look as though the price-con-
scious public is in the mood for such sac
rif1ces. Certainly, unless Americans volun-
tarily ration themselves they face increas-
ing demands for return to some degree
of compulsory rationing. The voluntary
system is much to be preferred, most con-
sumerS will agree