Herbert Hoover to Woodrow Wilson
Title
Herbert Hoover to Woodrow Wilson
Creator
Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964
Identifier
WWP19339
Date
1918 February 1
Description
Herbert Hoover writes to Woodrow Wilson about discouraging expansion in a number of food industries that are already producing sufficient quantities since that expansion would raise the cost of production and increase the demand for labor.
Source
Hoover-Wilson Correspondence, Hoover Institution, Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford, California
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
Food production and natural resources
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Correspondence
Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964--Correspondence
Language
English
Text
1-H-T
Mr. President
There are a number of food aindustries, particularly flour mills, canneries, candy manufacturers, sweet drink manufacturers and some others, where the existing producing capacity January 1st was more than sufficient to take care of all of the nation’s needs. Due to the profits earned in many of these industries during the last two or three years there is a tendency to speculative expansion by extension of equipment. The result is to spread the production over a larger amount of machinery, thus to increase the cost of production by the decreased output, to increase the demand for labor, for capital and for transportation. In many of these industries we can, through the Food Administration, discourage the establishment of such concerns. I believe that it is very much in the national interest that this should be done and I have tentively taken this view. I should, however, like your approval of this course. It would, of course, be applied only where there are great numbers of units and no dominating groups.
I beg to remain
Your obedient servant,
[Herbert Hoover]
Mr. President
There are a number of food aindustries, particularly flour mills, canneries, candy manufacturers, sweet drink manufacturers and some others, where the existing producing capacity January 1st was more than sufficient to take care of all of the nation’s needs. Due to the profits earned in many of these industries during the last two or three years there is a tendency to speculative expansion by extension of equipment. The result is to spread the production over a larger amount of machinery, thus to increase the cost of production by the decreased output, to increase the demand for labor, for capital and for transportation. In many of these industries we can, through the Food Administration, discourage the establishment of such concerns. I believe that it is very much in the national interest that this should be done and I have tentively taken this view. I should, however, like your approval of this course. It would, of course, be applied only where there are great numbers of units and no dominating groups.
I beg to remain
Your obedient servant,
[Herbert Hoover]
Original Format
Letter
To
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
Files
Citation
Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964, “Herbert Hoover to Woodrow Wilson,” 1918 February 1, WWP19339, Hoover Institute at Stanford University Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.