Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 228, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1917 — U. S. To Take Charge Of All Food November 1st. [ARTICLE]

U. S. To Take Charge Of All Food November 1st.

Washington, Oct. 9.—Virtually all the staple foods consumed by the American people will be put under government control Nov. 1. The food administration announced tonight that within a few days President Wilson will issue an executive order requiring that manufacturers and distributors of some twenty fundamental foods operate under license restrictions designed to prevent unreasonable profits and to stop speculation and hoarding. Regulations will be prescribed for meat packers, cold storage houses, millers, canners, elevators, grain dealers and wholesale dealers and retailers doing a business of more than SIOO,OOO annually in the commodities to be named. “The prime purpose of the food administration,” the announcement said, “is to protect the patriot against the slacker in business. It has generally been recognized that the enormous obligation imposed on the American to feed our soldiers at the front and the allies creates a disturbing factor ii\ trade which allows opportunity to' a few to impose burdens upon the many and that it is of vital importance that such control should be exerted as will remedy, so far as may be, the economic disturbance incident to the war.” Issuance of the president’s proclamations has been delayed, the announcement said, that the food administration might complete Conference with representatives of trades and producers and consumers. Already about 200 conferences have been held at which were planned regulations and constructive methods of control. “It has been the desire of the food administration,” the announcement continued, “to secure the co-opera-tion of all patriotic men in the various trades so as to eliminate speculatTonyiibarding, unreasonable profits, wasteful practices, etc., in the distribution system of the country.