Show Food Needs of Starving Europe Present Problems for America Released by Western Newspaper Union NEW YORK CITY N Y- Y Y Should America send food to the starving war stricken nations of Europe which have been successfully invaded ConsIderable controversy sur surrounds surrounds surrounds I rounds the answer to thIS questIon for it may be a VI VItal vital vital tal factor in m the outcome of the current war England fears feeding these natIons would indirectly aId Germany and tend to neutral neutralIze neutralize neutralize Ize the effectiveness of theIr blockade but others dIS dISagree disagree disagree agree Herbert Hoover sue suc successfully supervised distribution tIon of food in m Belgium during the World war oar and believes It Itcan itcan itcan can be done again agam The Na National Committee on Food for forthe forthe forthe the Five Small Democracies has has been formed to carry out hIs plan The following article pre presents presents presents the committees committee's rea- rea reasons reasons rea reasons sons why the I five five small de democracIes democracies democracies should be aided Food Is a weapon but famine famme is a boomerang Each is powerful and effectIve and like all deadly arms should be handled with knowledge and experience and not emotion The first reaction of the Brit sh government of October 1914 to the proposal to feed gw i a Belgium was in 10 inthe the words of Lord Robert Ce Cei ey i ji ell cil chief of off t st j Great Britain s sr foreign office G d counter coun COUIl r ter to every d c Uter tate fate of military prudence But the BrItIsh Brit t ash Ish government later came to real ze in 10 the theM c f M words of Mr As Asa qu th that thIS relief food reaches the Bel Belg Belg g ans and the fue Herbert Hoover French and reaches them alone while Lloyd George speak speaking speaking mg ing of the work for tor the all ed and associated po vers sa d It has been of inestimable value They demonstrated their belief m 10 mits mits Its necessity by giving priority to torel reI et of sh even over shIp shIpments shipments shipments ments of troops mun and food for the Allies AIbes This is a striking lesson from the annals of the World war and should cause us to explore deeply the facts of the present proposal before con condemning to possible death 37 m mul mullions millions lions hons of people as well as occasIOn occasioning occasioning ing the mev table concomitant dis diseases diseases eases that will stop at no cal political or geographical front er- er er not even the fue Atlantic ocean In the World war experience the condition of on in Sn Germany at the close of the war as con contrasted contrasted contrasted with the maintenance of the BelgIan population m In good health and without the loss of a life by starvation throughout four tour years IS eloquent proof of the fact tact that the blockade of Germany had been ef and in no way affected by bythe bythe bythe the feed ng of occupied terrItorIes Outline Proposal What is the proposal How was thIs effected last tune time How could it be repeated The proposal Is not to dump mis miscellaneous miscellaneous quantities of food into western Europe in the vague hope that they will be buted Ively among the conquered peoples Nor is it an arrangement by which any imported food would release to the Germans equivalent quantities of na native produce On the contrary it is to set up a total admin admen strat on under which all of the native produce would be mo mobilized mobilized by on in the ad on s warehouses for the exclusive use of the civilian tons t ons ens and then to import only those foods in which there fuere is a deficiency so as to make up a bare subsIstence ma of life ration precIse ly precisely as was done in the World war It is further that Germany con contrIbute contribute contribute trIbute towards this program tant important quantities from her own sup pI es Under such a plan it is obvIous that any leakages out of the total stores in 10 sufficient quantities to of af affect feet the German food supply by any amount large enough to Influence the German rat on and thereby the war would be immediately self re revealing A great deal of opposition to thus this plan is based upon the assertion that the Germans would not live up to any guarantees which they might give But curiously enough The Other Side Many persons bel eve that fuat It would be impossible to supervise d str button of food sent to conquered na nat tons ons of Europe Among those who hold this view is Wallace R Deuel who has spent six years in m Ger Germany Germany Germany many as foreign correspondent for the Chicago Daily Dally News Recently a reader wrote him and asked If we could ship food through the blockade to the starving mg Belg Beig ans for tor example what percentage of o it m we expect the Naz s to take To th s question he replied You might expect the Nazis to take ether e a ther most or all of what you sent If It they retrained reframed from taking the same food you sent they would take a corresponding amount of other stocks The starving Belgians would in either event be little or not at all bet better better ter off fua than they were before guarantees are of secondary Importance importance tance and German national interest the primary factor What are these fuese so called guarantees Naturally operations could only begin after the fue on of an undertaking WIth the German government that they will abstain from se zing either na native tive or imported supplies Small Help to Germany But food alone would scarcely pro provIde provide provide vIde the motive for tor seiz selz ng the im imported imported ported supplies Native produce is hers for the taking anyway Ger Germany Germany Germany many is consuming today 1 tons of food a month the invaded territories would need about tons a month would be ned in m these fuese countries as they were last t me on a two weeks protection bas s Thus If at anyone any one moms moment nt Germany of ef effected effected an all embracing seIzure from the orth l Cape to the French border she would rece ve ye thereby exactly 72 hours of es as for her 80 m 11 ons of people And if of she shed shed shed d d the flow of food would be cut off from one sh to the next There we see exposed ng rig and yet so ous the maximum men menace menace menace ace to Br ta to n-a n n a three days supply of food for Germany Some bel eve that it is Germany s sobI sobi obI gat on to feed teed these p people Ople but butth butth th fu s also is inconsistent w th the pre prevailing prevailing op neon mon of the fue German re regime game The more ruthless one be beI beI I 1 eves them to be the more obvIous It is that they are not go ng to raIse a finger to help the r vict ms We have heard of tons t ons and leaks of food foed supplies during the World war but the aud and ted and pub published accounts of the commiss on that fuat d d that fuat job reveal that through throughout throughout throughout out the four years of their opera operations operations there was not one single SIt on at at least not one that was not replaced d or In m equivalent equivalent lent supplies It is not Improbable that there were small leaks such as have been cited in 10 personal let letters letters tens to the press but when it IS cons dered tha that t over 11 it pounds of goods were taken into the fue occupIed territories it is petty to raIse these infinites mal proportions of the total amount handled as an objection that may condemn these 37 mill ons of people to death Revolt Held Unlikely Is it possible that if 11 we do not feed those people they may revolt against their conquerors Former Formerly Formerly Formerly ly when there was less d be between between between tween the weapons ot of an army and those of a mob this would have been possIble today it is us absurd to ex et expect expect t that at a mob armed with scythes and pitchforks hunt ng guns and knIves could withstand the weapons weapons ons ens of modern warfare Anyone who advances this thus theory is apparently WIth famine which far tar from embolden emboldening emboldening mg ing men slowly and ely breaks their theu spirit and reduces them to impotence and utter apathy Some thought too must be gIven to the question as to whether it is not after all merely one of distribution tion and not of shortage m in Europe Agricultural experts reveal that Eu Europe Europe Europe rope is normally 15 per cent short In her food supply Due to one of the coldest winters on record last year followed by one of the wettest springs there is a further shortage of another 15 per cent Add to these the addit onal shortages due to war phenomena such as the doubling of on immediately upon mo mobilization the destruction of stocks and the interference with cultivation and harvests and it is obvIous that the total shortage ge In Europe this year will be far tar over and above 30 per centOne centOne cent centOne One proposal has been to send Into these countries medicines and food concentrates for children There Thera Is but one cure for famine famme and that is food and no amount of serums lerums or medicines can ward off death by starvation Such relief is but a asaline asaline asaline saline solution a prolongation of the agony No either this thing is right and of no risk fisk to England or it is wrong If it is right since we have a stake in 10 this war which we are steadily increasing it is our dut duty to ra se our voice that at least a trial be made to save these m 11 ons of peo pIe of our o 0 ideals and pi pl phy especially especially when hen the risk rusk the worst tha that t could happen happ-en for the BrIt BrItIsh British ush Ish cause I isi is but 72 n hours supply for Germany The only alten t ve ye is to deny food to these victims of ot aggressIOn exposing them to dangers of tion |