uld not have
been accomplished without effort and sacrifice, and it is a matter
for further satisfaction that it has been accomplished voluntarily
and individually. It is difficult to distinguish between various
sections of our people--the homes, public-eating places, food
trades, urban or agricultural populations--in assessing credit for
these results; but no one will deny the dominant part played by the
American women."

The conservation part of the Food Administration's work was picturesque,
conspicuous and important. But it was, of course, only one among the
many of the Administration's activities. On the day of his appointment
Hoover outlined his conception of the functions and aims of the Food
Administration, as follows:

"The hopes of the Food Administration are three-fold. First, to so
guide the trade in the fundamental food commodities as to eliminate
vicious speculation, extortion and wasteful practices and to
stabilize prices in the essential staples. Second, to guard our
exports so that against the world's shortage, we retain sufficient
supplies for our own people and to cooeperate with the Allies to
prevent inflation in prices. And, third, that we stimulate in every
manner within our power the saving of our food in order that we may
increase exports to our Allies to a point which will enable them to
properly provision their armies and to feed their peoples during
the coming winter.

"The Food Administration is called into being to stabilize and not
to disturb conditions and to defend honest enterprise against
illegitimate competition. It has been devised to correct the
abnormalities and abuses that have crept into trade by reason of
the world disturbance and to restore business as far as may be to
a reasonable basis.

"The business men of this country, I am convinced, as a result of
hundreds of conferences with representatives of the great forces of
food supply, realize their own patriotic obligation and the
solemnity of the situation, and will fairly and generously
cooeperate in meeting the national emergency. I do not believe that
drastic force need be applied to maintain economic distribution and
sane use of supplies by the great majority of American people, and
I have learned a deep and abiding faith in the intelligence of the
average A