8 NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
North Shore Breeze 
Published every Friday afternoon by 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE CoO. 
33 Beach Street Manchester, 
J. ALEX. LODGE, Editor. 
Telephones: Manchester 378, 132-M. 
Subscription rates: $2.00 a year; 3 months (trial) 50 cents. 
Advertising rates on application, 
Mass. 
Entered as second-class matter at the Manchester, Mass., 
Postoffice. 
VOL. XV 
April 20, 1917. No. 16 
‘*The flag of our union under 
whose benign influence all men are 
Teer 
“The supreme test of the nation has come. We must 
all speak, act and serve together.’-—PR¥SIDENT WILSON. 
SESS S 
Tur Narion’s Great NeEgp 1s Foop! The insistence 
with which the farmers and everyone else are being urged 
to an enlarged production of staple food products should 
help to make us realize the requirements of the world. 
Even if hostilities end unexpectedly in Europe it will ‘be 
a long time before the production of foodstuffs in that 
continent can reach a normal basis. Because of the short- 
age of such crops throughout the world, Secretary Hous- 
ton declares “there is no risk of excessive pioduction” at 
this time. It is apparent that the farmers of this country 
have a job on their hands. They have besides the United 
States, most of the belligerent nations to feed. That they 
will patriotically respond to the need is known without 
question. ‘To do this they are urged to plant wheat, oats, 
barley, rye, grain, sorghums, flax, corn, cow peas, soy 
beans, potatoes and all other corps which can feed men or 
animals. Flax, for instance, mentioned above, is not a 
human food, yet its seed constitutes an important element 
in the dairy food supply, and releases other grain pro- 
ducts for use as food. Vegetable corps of carrots, ruta- 
baga turnips, onions, cabbages, etc., should receive more 
attention than they generally receive. They are capable 
of large production on suitable land under intensive cul- 
ture throughout the more densely populated portions of 
the country. Consumers living in villages and in the sub- 
urbs of cities do not appreciate their means of adding 
materially to their food supply by utilizing suitable idle 
soil in yards, vacant lots and unused outlying fields. Gar- 
Se is an industry in which the family and community 
ray share with helpfulness and benefit. We urge our 
bene to the importance of these facts. War privations 
are bound to become necessary unless enough is raised 
for ourselves and our allies. The government will see 
that the farmers are well paid despite the hugeness of 
their crops. The best thing that America can do is to 
mlant food enoush to feed the world and in that case the 
farmers of America will reap the profits. 
ORGANIZATION OF THE MANCHESTER BRANCH of the 
American Red Cross has been completed and the finance 
co nmittee, under the direction of Mr. William Hooper, is 
undertaking the task of financing the branch. All funds 
for the use of the local branch must be raised in Man- 
chester itself. Contributions may be left at the Man- 
chester Trust Co. with Harry W. Purington, the treas- 
urer of the branch. 
Few people realize what the magnitude of the Red 
Cross work is during peace time and what tremendous 
results in the way of removing the causes of suffering 
have been achieved by the American organization in re- 
cent years. The most stupendous tasks are performed 
during times of tranqulity and the world fies not hear 
about them. It is only in the glitter and glamor of war 
that the Red Cross comes into the limelight of publicity. 
The Chinese know more about the good work of the 
American Red Cross than do the people in the United 
States and they have a very high appreciation of it. Dur- 
ing the big revolution in China, when the old Manchu 
dynasty was overthrown, the first Chinese Red Cross so- 
ciety was organized. 
In the first battles of that war the troops began kill- 
ing the wounded on the field, according to their old cus- 
ton, but the Chinese Red Cross, assisted by the American 
society, promptly stopped the barbarities and the Chinese 
at once took a keen interest in the relief work. General 
Li Yuan Hung, then in command of the revolutionary 
troops and now President of China, together with his 
wife, frequently visited the hospitals near the front and 
gave flowers and consolation to the mutilated soldiers. 
The great work of the American Red Cross in China, 
however, was the carrying out of a conservancy system, 
the building of dykes and ditches to hold the flood waters 
in the spring and prevent the annually recurring floods 
which caused widespread starvation every year by the 
destruction of crops over large areas. The American 
Red Cross raised and distributed about $3,000,000 each 
vear for a time to buy food and other necessities for the 
famished millions, until about the year 1912 when the 
organization sent an American engineer over to China 
and he laid the plans for the huge water conservancy sys- 
tem. 
Today, however, goaded by the necessity of war, 
Americans are realizing the importance of the Red Cross 
and are flocking to enrol in its membership and to con- 
tribute to the support of its work. Manchester has been 
a leader arong the towns of the Commonwealth in Red 
Cross work and should keep up the good work. 
BSS 
THE WIRELESS STATIONS in time of war are a great 
aid to the Government for war purposes, but secret sta- 
tions will prove a serious handicap. The wireless methods 
of communicating messages permit no secrecy except by 
the use of codes and these are also difficult to safeguard. 
The Government has consequently closed all stations not 
taken over for governmental uses and a heavy penalty 
will be imposed for all violations. The public can co- 
Operate with the authorities in detecting forbidden sta- 
tions. 
BSS 
SUPREMACY Upon THE SEA will be gained by a con- 
quest of wits. It is about time we heard from our own 
wizards. The U-boat peril rust be forever removed by 
a new invention that will minimize its powers. 
BES 
Onrt May Now Reap with an understanding mind 
the e» harrassments and self denials caused by our fore- 
sires when they ate their potatoes and carefully preserved 
the parings and seed ends to plant in the spring. 
April 20, 1917. 
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