Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-04-08
Balkans Lack
Provisions
For Hitler
He's Due for Surprise in
Opinion Of Experts
BY PAUL MALb0N

nlZed flSt INTO tne balkan DREAD
basket of Europe but he is
duplicating the experience of Old
Mother Hubbard.
A report on food in southeast
Europe and in Germany has been
prepared by a government au-
thority here for official use and
not for publication. 1t predicts
Hitler will nor find in Yugo-
slavia, Rumania or Bulgaria the
wheat and corn he seeks to keep
a workable dietary balance in
his home rationing program
much beyond its forecast end in
Midsummer. Nor will he ever
be able to wiring enough out of
the Balkans to meet his def
ciencies.
Danuhian countries could
spare him only one-SiXth as
much wheat and one-eighth as
much corn from their 1940-4l
crop as they gave him the pre-
vious year. Adverse weather.
conditions and army mobiliZa-
tons cut production down. What
they were able to give will meet
only 40 per cent of pre-war Ger
man wheat imports and less than
B per cent of Hitler's corn i'm
ports. The report says this was
"a serious blow to the German
food balance"
NOW that the conquerer is
~ moving in, he will try 10
wiring larger percentages by de-
priving the local populace as in
Denmark, The Netherlands, Nor
way and elsewhere. The Ger
mans call il purchasing" but il
Is purchasing at the point of a
gun with worthless or seized
money. Even so. the gain can be
but little for there is little avail
able.
The report says Hitler cannot
supply his deficiencies even if
his conquest lasts several years
The peasants are il!iterate-and
they work according 10 archaic
traditions and customs. speaking
a variety OF languages which
VIII defy even German efficiency
TilE report prophesieS the next
Il food pinch for Hitler begin
ming in Midsummer and increas-
ing in pain until Winter. Farm
labor is being seized in confiS-
Gated countries and some OK
pansion Of German production
may be expected this year. but
Hitler'S war needs have increased
30 10 40 per cent over peacetime
consumption.
The emergency slaughter OF
cattle in Denmark and The
Netherlands supplied him with
only five weeks of German
rations requirements enough to
keep his meat box going until
June at the present rationing
rate. He is better fixed in bread
grains and should be. able 10
carry through the end Of the
year He is best fixed on pota-
toes. as he had a good crop.
But he Is desperate for fats and
no more are to be had IN Den
mark and Holland. now that the
herds have been slaughtered.
The report does not predict
starvation but increasingly
severe dietary deficiencies which
viii Injure first the efficiency Of
the German worker fthe army is
getting all the best available).
FOOD prices are taking an
other price hike in this land
of plenty and this time under
governmental auspices. It's
cockeNed situation. The f4endef-
son defense price division has
been trying TO prevent industrial
price advances while the govern
ment labor conciliators authorize
wage increases which must cause
some price increases.
Now comes the agriculture do
partment with a new price pro-
gram affecting food.
As you know the government
loan on corn was fixed al 81
cents by Congress. Under il the
government now owns 100000
600 bushels of corn. But Con-
gress pegged the loan price so
high. the farmers got more from
the loans than from feeding hogs.
As a result the hog population
diminished. Something had to be
done.
Instead Of releasing some Of
the government corn at lower
prices to farmers who would
agree TO raise more hogs fthis
plan was rejected). the agricIl-
ture department is raising the
price of hogs and guaranteeing
to keep II up two years. 1t is
doing the same thing with eggs,
chickens and butter
WHAT set this part of the farm
w program off on the new line
was the British purchasing pro-
gram. The British want pork.
dairy products and eggs. We are
short on these products and get
ting shorter.
So the surplus marketing adj
ministration has announced it
will buy hogs at SO per 100, pay
p cents a dozen for eggs, Is
cents a pound for chickens and
81 cents for butter (these prices
4 4