Imperial Valley press., 1942-06-18
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

The major problems of the war
| just transportation, though that S
/ effort can be shaken down into a
single problem of distribution. Not
important and colsely related. but
the much broaded meaning of dis
tribution which includes supply and
ALLEGATION and rationing.
It's really amazing how little
is known about this subject.
II takes war economy to
bring out that fact in stark
nakednesS. Any problem of pro-
duction can be licked. But the
problems of distribution are
something else again and they
hit at every level from local
milk, of which there i' a sur
plus, to world distribution of
rubber, OF, which there is an
artificial scarcity. The problems
of distribution therefore reduce
themselves to taking these sur
pluses and shortages and find
ing ways to divide them up SO
that everyone has enough to
| get by on.
There are no rules for this mat
| ter of distribution. The only rule
of thumb has been that nothing
was ever distributed to anyone un-
less it was profitable to do SO.
No one government agency has
ever concerned itself with the
overall aspects of distribution.
even TNEC-the Temporary Ma
tional Economic Committee, which
supposedly dug into every phase of
contemporary economies woe
fully weak in its studies of this
subject
In this wartime controlled econ
omy, there are half a dozen gov
ernment agencies concerning them
selves with some phase of diStri-
button, though no one has general,
co-ordinating supervision. and it
would probably be too big a job
for anyone to tackle
PRODUCTION is EASY
The new Food Requirements
Committee, set up under Secretary
of Agriculture Wickard, has the
problem of seeing that there is
enough food produced for the Unit
ed States and the United Nations,
too, but its responsibility stops
there. Production, however, isn't
the problem. All that has to be
done to get production is tell the
farmers to produce and guarantee
them a price, both of which have
been done.
Thus, though the law says
there mist be IS million acres
allotted for the production of
wheat, present surpluses are SO
great that the country could
get by next wear if only 81 mil
lion acres were planted. Simi-
larly, there may be vast sur
pluses of pork, cheese and other
food products. The problem of
storing these surpluses, of
transporting them to market, is
thus a primary worry.
Agricultural Marketing Admin
stra ton has gained a little expert
hence in the problems of distribution
through its programs for buying
'up surpluses of some commodities
end distributing them through the
food stamp plan. but this is an
artificial and rudimentary approach
to the problem
TRAPPED IN MIDDLE
The civil an interests in. this mat
ter are supposedly looked after BY
the Consumers Division of the
Cflice of Price Administration. Il
is an advisory organization, pure
", but its advice carries weight In
the making of decisions which OPh
hands down as to what shall bt
rationed, and when and how
There is foreseen no necessity tt
ration clothing this year, no neeo
to requisition housing, no shortage
of essential foods. Where short
ages develop, as possibly in COFFEE
and tea. rationing will have to
be applied for equitable dstribu-
ton.
Caught i'm the middle of all
this planning OF distribution
are the agencies governing
transportation, the War Ship
ping Administration, allOtting
space for exports and imports
and the Office of Defense
transportation, co Ordinating
the movement of goods at
home. With shortages of all
transport facilities, with nor
NAL sources of supply cut of,
with extra load; of troops and
war supplies to carry, their is
the job of trying to facilitate
the distribution of such goods
as there are.
Maybe, out of all the experience
| problems of distribution, enough
knowledge will be acquired to lick
dat oil debbil distribution as called
for by Point Four of the Atlantic
Charter, TO further the enjoy
\ nent by all states . of access
20 the raw materials of the worltl
I which are needed for their econ
omic prosperity