Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/153

LEFT CONSEEVATION OF FOOD 117 CONSERVATION OF FOOD able, throughout the whole course of the war, to draw food supplies from neutral countries, especially from Canada, the United States and the South American countries, this supply being only limited by transportation facilities. When the United States entered the war, in 1917, food conservation also be- came a very serious administrative prob- lem in this country, though for a differ- ent reason. There was no fear of a scarcity of home supply, so far as the domestic population was concerned, even though several millions of young men were drafted for the army, most of them from the rural districts. But the moment the country decided to engage in hostilities on the side of the Entente, the Government at once assumed the re- sponsibility of supplying the European Allies with the food they so sorely needed, and to do so immediately there was begun a tremendous fleet of cargo vessels. In the words of President Wil- son, as uttered in his proclamation in January, 1918, there was needed "a more intensive effort on the part of our people to save food, in order that we may sup- ply our associates in the war with the sustenance vitally necessary to them in these days of privation and stress." On Aug. 10, 1917, Congress passed the Food Control Act, authorizing the President to assume control of the pro- duction and distribution of food prod- ucts during the full period of the war; to commandeer stores; to license export, manufacturing, etc.; to suppress "prof- iteering"; and even to buy directly from the producers and sell to the consumers certain food commodities, including coal. Herbert C. Hoover was appointed head of the new Food Administration, to en- force the provisions of the Food Control Act. He immediately announced that he would bend all his efforts to the elimination of private speculation in food, and that there would be a strict supervision of the private export of food stuffs. He would also prepare a detailed program for the elimination of waste and food conservation which the people would be asked to put into prac- tice voluntarily. On Aug. 14 President Wilson issued a proclamation requiring all persons en- gaged in the wheat and rye trades to apply for licenses. Exception was made of those operating mills producing less than one hundred barrels of flour and farmers' co-operative sales associations. September 11th was set as the day on which all licenses must be applied for. At the same time Mr. Hoover appointed a special commission, on which were represented the producers, middlemen, and consumers, to determine a fair price for the 1917 crop of wheat. Fifty mil- lion dollars was appropriated for the purchase of the bulk of the wheat crop, so that the producers would be assured of a certain maximum price and the consumers of a minimum retail price. Next, all dealers were required to apply for licenses, including such retailers as did a business of over $100,000 a year. Meanwhile the program of the Food Administration to insure economy was proclaimed and became effective on Jan. 28, 1918. To reduce the consumption of wheat by a third, as was proposed, re- tailers were compelled to sell flour on what was called the fifty-fifty plan; for every pound of flour sold they must sell a pound of some other cereal. Bakers were compelled to bake what was called the victory loaf: bread in which the flour of other cereals was mixed with that of wheat. The people were urged to observe wheatless Mondays and Wednes- days. By March, 1918, retailers were made to restrict their sales of wheat products to one and one-half pounds per person per week. Victory bread now included 25 per cent, of non-wheat flours. Meatless Tuesdays and porkless Satur- days were also proclaimed. In March, 1918, these two restrictive days were rescinded, but in the following June housewives were requested to limit their purchases of beef to one and one-fourth pounds weekly. Restaurants could serve roast beef and beefsteak only one day a week, and boiled beef on two days a week. The consumption of poultry products, and especially eggs, was urged, and for a while, from February to April, the traders in freshly killed fowl were not required to carry licenses. Mean- while the shortage of sugar had become extremely acute and in August a sugar rationing program was instituted, which allowed each person only two pounds of sugar a month. Exception was made in the case of housewives who wished to can fruits and berries, which was strongly urged, and they could procure extra amounts of sugar by special li- cense. By September, when it became obvious that a good crop of cereals was insured, the restrictions on flour were raised so far as consumers were con- cerned, but President Wilson issued a proclamation forbidding their use in the production of spirituous liquors, a measure which was later fortified and amplified by special Federal legislation, to endure until demobilization. After the signing of the armistice one after another of the various restrictions were removed, and high prices took the place of scarcity. By the measures taken