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Show HALT FOOD SAVING PURPOSE OF PLOT Housewives Told Government Will Seize Provisions. FEDERAL ACTION TO FOLLOW Propaganda Takes Form of Word-of-Mouth Reports Assiduously Spread In Every Part of Country -Thou, sands of Housewives Influenced to Cut Down on Canning. Effort to discount tho government's food conservation cmnpalgn, upon the heels of a widespread attempt to discourage dis-courage fanners from growing lnrgor crops, have become so general nnd jierblstciit that the department of Justice Jus-tice probably will be asked to Investigate Inves-tigate this form of nntt-wur activity. This propaganda has taken the form of unrd-of-inouth reports, assiduously as-siduously spread In every part of the country, that tho government Intends to confiscate nil canned, dried and prosenod goods, conserved for home uso this winter. It Is believed that thousands of housewives already linvo been persuaded not to put up moro than n small amount of fruits and vegetables on this aceonnt. Pose as Government Agents. Most finished and hpectacular work of this sort lias been going on In St. Louis, according to reports received from n grain supervisor of tho olllce of markets and rural organization In Missouri. There men posing as agents of the government have been going from homo to homo and after obtaining obtain-ing exact Information nbout the amount of canned goods on hand, they have seized portions of tho supply, sup-ply, lealng only the qunntlty they told housewives, allowed by tho government gov-ernment for u family of their size. To obtain the Information thoy Informed In-formed the women that thuy were federal agents assigned to mako the food survey, now being carried on by the department of agriculture, and they dlsplnyed the buttons of tho food administration, which anyond may buy for ten cents, as a voucher for their right to confiscate tho goods. At first it was thought this was n flim-flam game, but the manner of the operation of these agents has lod to the suspicion that thoy nro operating operat-ing to confirm the suspicion spread by other agents that It is uselons to pnt up vegetables or fruits for homo us, since tho government will tolzu any nbnormnl surplus. Tho St. Louis reports, It wns stated, probably will be turned over to tho department of Justice shortly. St. Louis so far Is the only place In which food actually has been seized. Hut reports from, patriotic men nnd women nnd from the department of agriculture county agents show that in many states there has been, concerted con-certed effort to discount tho cons.cr-atlon cons.cr-atlon work they havu been trying to perform. Similar reports bovo como from independent sources to tha food administration. One case closo to Washington wns In western Pennsylvania. A man interested in-terested In food conservation was touring that region in an automobile and noticed food In fields and fruit on trees left to rot. lie stopped at n farmhouse and nsked why this food was not being conserved. Thought Hundred Jars Limit. "Ain't no ue," he was Informed, "1'vo got my hundred jnrs and If I put up any more tho government will toko It to help feed tho army." Down In Virginia ,tho same stories have been spread so widely that agents down there, as well as ofllcors of civic patriotic bodies, reported to tho food administration that tho effect ef-fect of tho cnnnlng nnd drying campaign cam-paign hns been largely dUcounted. Knowledge of these efforts have led both tho deportment nnd tho food administration ad-ministration to Issue denials from time to time thnt any seizure of food on farms or In homes is contemplated. contemplat-ed. But these have not reached tho rural districts and the depnrtmont of ngrlculturo Is in possession of clippings clip-pings from rural papers which forecast fore-cast the probnblu seizure by the government gov-ernment of foodstuffs to feed the army. |