Immediately following the declaration of war, Governor James P. Goodrich of Indiana, sent a telegram to attorney James S. Wright, asking that a patriotic meeting be held in Vevay Saturday afternoon, April 14th. The main auditorium was packed to overflowing and it was necessary to open the gallery to accommodate the crowds. The meeting was called to order by James S. Wright, and patriotic speeches were delivered by E. T. Kirkendoff, of Purdue University, Rev. Joseph Lindsay, of the Vevay Presbyterian Church, and Hon. Marcus Sulzer, of Madison. Mr. Sulzer, known as one of the ablest orators in Indiana, delivered the greatest speech of his career at this meeting.

    E. T. Kirkendoff made a plea to Switzerland county farmers that they begin planning immediately to grow more foodstuffs than ever before, telling them the sucess of the war would depend entirely upon the amount grown by them. In answer to his suggestion the Switzerland County Food Production and Conservation Committee was organized as follows:

President, Prof. R. N. Tirey
Chairman Posey township, E. E. Hufford
Chairman York township, George N. Reeves
Chairman Cotton township, Eugene Stoops
Chairman Craig township, Albert Shaw
Chairman Jefferson township, Forrest A. Griffith
Chairman Pleasant township, John B. Rochat

    On April 19, 1917, just thirteen days after was was declared, the first call on Switzerland county citizens to conserve food was made by R. N. Tirey, President of the County Organization. At the same time he called on every patriotic farmer to increase his acreage of foodstuffs.

    From Saturday, May 12th, to Friday, May 18th, food meetings were held at every point in the county, certain speakers addressing as many as three different meetings in one evening. The sole object of these meetings was to impress upon the citizens the necessity for conserving food and arouse the patriotism of the farmers so they would plant more acres of foodstuffs than ever before.

    Sunday, July 1, 1917, was known as "Food Saving Day" in Switzerland county, and pastors in all churches urged their hearers to conserve every ounce of food possible.

    Miss Nellie Rowe, a State expert, gave a demonstration of vegetable canning in towns throughout the county during the week of July 23 to July 28.

    On August 3rd a State speaker, Otis Crane, of Purdue, delivered addresses to farmers at points in the county, urging them to grow more wheat than ever before.

    The U. S. Food Administration was created by act of Congress August 10, 1917, to provide further for the national security and defense by encouraging the production, conserving the supply and controlling the distribution of food products. It was chiefly a voluntary organization brought into being at a time of great national stress to assist in solving one of the greatest problems presented by the world crisis.

    Each state was provided with a Food Control organization and in turn each county Food Administrator was directly responsible to the Federal Food Administrator of the state for the enforcement of the food control law within the county. He was also responsible for the observance of the regulations and plans of the Federal Food Administration in so far as they applied to the distribution of foods and conservation of foodstuffs.

    In November, 1917, Dr. J. W. Smith upon recommendation by the County Council of Defense was appointed Federal Food Administrator for Switzerland county, by Dr. H. E. Barnard, Federal Food Administrator for the State. He immediately began effecting the county organization, and in the early enforcement of rules, when people had hardly had sufficient time to see the necessity for such measures, there was criticism, but Dr. Smith never wavered or swerved from the path of duty.

    There was no compensation whatever for this work, it being entirely a patriotic service. Dr. Smith served faithfully until March 2, 1918, when he suddenly passed away.

    On March 26, 1918, Dr. Hugh M. Thiebaud was appointed Federal Food Administrator to succeed Dr. Smith in the long and tedious work and every grocer in the county was made a member of the organization. Mrs. H. M. Thiebaud assisted in the clerical work, and did the stenographic work to the end.

    All grocers in the county, 36 in all, reported to the Administrator each Monday on blanks prepared for the purpose, the amount of flour and sugar purchased the previous week by their customers. The total amount of sugar used in the county for the canning season of 1918 was 135,002 pounds. The amount allotted to the county to November 1, 1918, was 12 1/2 pounds for each person, and on October 1st more than this amount had been consumed. The average allotted to each inhabitant of the county was 15 pounds, an no more certificates could be issued. For table use in homes, hotels, and restaurants the amount allotted for each person was 3 pounds for every 90 meals. All sugar secured by retailers was obtained on certificates issued by the Federal Food Administrator.

    On January 15, 1918, E. P. Downey went to Indianapolis as representative of the Switzerland County Grocers to attend a conference pertaining to the regulation of prices. Upon his return home a meeting of all grocers in the county was called, and Mr. Downey reported that State Administrator Barnard has asked him to report to the Switzerland County Grocers that they would be allowed a few more weeks in which to compel their customers to use less foods, and if they failed, then the stores would be taken over by the government and a government man would superintend the distribution of food in the county. At this meeting Dr. J. W. Smith, the County Administrator, stated that if he found any merchant in Switzerland county violating the order about selling limited amounts of foodstuffs to his customers, the merchant would be reported to the federal authorities and prosecuted by the government.

    Food became so scarce at the beginning of 1918, that drastic measures were taken by the government. At that time it seemed that the whole outcome of the war depended on the conserving of food at home, and on January 26 President Wilson issued a proclamation which established the following regulations:

    Wheatless Monday, Wheatless Wednesday, one wheatless meal each day, Meatless Tuesday, Porkless Saturday, one meatless meal each day. Save sugar every day. Save fats every day. At the same time Dr. Thiebaud was instructed to see that all groceries, meat shops, bakeries and confectioneries in the county remained closed on each Sunday.

    On January 28th an order was given to all dealers compelling them to sell an equal amount of wheat flour substitutes with every order of wheat flour. The substitutes were barley, buckwheat and corn flours, corn meal, corn starch, corn grits, hominy, oatmeal, potato flour, rice and rice flour, rolled oats, soya bean flour and sweet potato flour. When this order went into effect there was lots of grumbling. Dr. Thiebaud came in for bitter criticism until the following telegram from Food Administrator Herbert Hoover, of Washington, was received and made public:   "Flour substitute regulations must stand. Deviation cannot be permitted. Situation critical. Rules are made to save wheat flour and help win the war."

    "Victory Bread" became a reality on Sunday, February 24, 1918. Commencing on that date all bakers were required to use at least 20 pounds of substitutes with each 80 pounds of flour used. The wholesale and retail price of bread was also fixed by the government--the retail price being 10 cents for a one-pound loaf and 15 cents for a one-and-a-half pound loaf.

    Beginning February 23, 1918, and continuing until April 30th no hens were permitted to be killed.

    In May, 1918, the Vevay Ice Plant was ordered to discontinue the sale of ice on Sundays, which was to be used for the manufacture of ice cream.

    On May 11th further restrictions were placed on bread, only two ounces being allowed to each person at each meal.

    At the beginning of the threshing season in 1918, Dr. Thiebaud called a meeting of all wheat growers and threshermen in the county to be held at the Court House on June 5th. William Geiske was chosen inspector of the threshermen. At this meeting the prices for threshing were fixed as follows:   Wheat, 8 cents; rye, 9 cents; oats, 5 cents.

    About this time an order was issued prohibiting farmers from having rye ground to feed hogs, or from hogging down their rye, without a permit from Dr. Thiebaud. To obtain such a permit the farmer was compelled to make affidavit to the Food Administrator that he had no corn or other feed for his hogs.

    In August, 1918, for the purpose of further conserving food, it was decided to organize food clubs in the county. Miss Mary Tandy was made Organizer of Clubs and on September 18th, the Vevay Club was organized with Mrs. E. P. Downey, chairman. A few weeks later Miss Tandy left Vevay to attend college and Mrs. Downey was appointed President of the Food Clubs in Switzerland county.

    During the late summer of 1917, the prices that prevailed on staple articles were as follows: Milk, 10 cents; bread, 10 cents pound; lard, 33 cents pound; cream cheese, 35 cents pound; butter, 65 cents pound; potatoes, 50 cents peck; rice, 15 cents pound; oleomargarine, 38 cents pound.

    As a whole Switzerland county citizens unhesitatingly obeyed every order issued by the Food Administrator. They used corn bread instead of wheat bread, learned to drink their coffee without sugar, did without beef one day each week, without pork one day each week and observed at least one meatless and one wheatless meal each day. In the fall of 1918, Dr. Thiebaud carrying out the orders of the U.S. Food Administrator Hoover, urged all housewives to can every vegetable and every ounce of fruit.   "Let nothing go to waste" was the slogan, and the order was obeyed by all.

    The following lines, written at that time will give an idea of what was done by the women in their effort to conserve food:

    "They are bottling juice to beat the deuce, and beans to beat the Dutch. You growl and chew, they'll can you, too--you don't amount to much. While on the floor in streaks of gore the ketchup paints a frieze from leaky pans, for she who cans must mind her p's and q's. Oh, the penetrating, palpitating pungent sauer kraut brings back memories of the days before we turned the rascals out. But the Missus and the hired girl are proud to boil and stew, and keep on canning cabbage--Mister Hoover told them to.

    "But when all this canning's over and you think you've had enough, your're just beginning, for next spring you have to eat the stuff. You'll have pickled beets for breakfast eats and chow-chow for desert; you'll feed yourself from pantry shelves until your tummies hurt. Oh, the long and cruel winter, with its surplus of preserves! Oh, the fast expanding waistcoat and its ever widening curves! But the Missus and the hired girl are bound to see it through. They'll eat until they burst--Mister Hoover told them to.

    "Daddy, dear, and did you hear the stuff that's going round? The house is crammed with jell and jam--there's no place to sit down. The parlor chairs are full of pears, the floor is strewn with pits and other stuff--it is enough to give a body fits. Oh, the sickening, boiling sugar and the pungent smell of spice, fill our noses till we holler, 'Give us peace at any price.' But the Missus and the hired girl come back with this at you:   'We're canning corn and onions--Mister Hoover told us to.'

    "They are cutting in early morn, and shelling peas at noon; and if the night is very bright they'll dry them by the moon. The walls are sprayed with marmalade, the ceiling drips with steam. You cannot sleep, the demons keep on teasing while you dream. Oh, the smelly mustard pickle and the odoriferous clove, and the surplus syrup scorching as it spills upon the stove! But the Missus and the hired girl don't give a hang for you; they're canning grapes and apples--Mister Hoover told them to."

    Dr. Thiebaud was Switzerland county's Federal Food Administrator until all restrictions had been removed and the Administration discontinued. Regardless of public opinion he saw that the food restrictions were obeyed to the letter. He sacrificed his medical practice to a great extent in fulfilling his duties to the government and he did his bit just as truly as the boys in the trenches. His business-like manner in handling the work brought praise from the State Food Administrator and no official holding a similar position in Indiana made a better record than he.