Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1918 — FOOD CONSERVATION [ARTICLE]

FOOD CONSERVATION

Never, not even in the darkest days of the war, was it more necessary for the people to save food than, it is now. Mr. Hoover made this clear in his statement printed in The News yesterday. Having won the fight against a commercial and imperial militarism, we are now called on to win the war against famine and pestilence. It is estimated that there are at least 40,000,000 people in Russia who are close to starvation, many of whom will starve in spite of all we can do. Conditions in Rommania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Armenia and Mesopotamia are known to be terrible. It is still necessary to care for the people of Belgium, and for many in France. It is known that the neutral nations of Europe are suffering greatly. On top of it al is the problem of reconstructing the central empires. Mr. Hootver said: We have now to consider a new world situation in food. We have to frankly survey Europe, a Europe of whicn a large part is either in ruins or in social conflagration; a Europe with degenerated soils and depleted herds; a Europe with the whole of its population on rations or in various degrees of starvation and large numbers who have been under the German heel who are actually starving. * * * If wo value our own safety and the social organization of the world, if we value the preservation of civilized days, we cannot sit idly by and see the growth of this cancer in the world’s vitals. It is indeed a world problem, on the right solution of which, not only the comfort and happiness, but the safety of humanity depend. We must fight famine as bravely and effectively as we fought the Germans. The very vastness of the work will, we believe, appeal to the American people, f-or they are at their best when facing emergencies. It •is planned to ship 20,000,000 tons of foodstuffs to Europe next year as against a normal pre-war shipment of 6,000,000 tons. We must produce as never before, and save even more stringently. By all means the food administration should be continued, and if need be, strengthened. There must be no sagging down anywhere. In this connection it is well to remember that the Red Cross has a trmendous work to do. Europe will need everything. America must respond to the limit of her ability, if the world is to be delivered from “plague, pestilence and famine.” — Indianapolis ■ News.