The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-30
PUERTO RICO SUFFERS FROM
 FOOD SHORTAGE
By LAWRENCE <. HAAS
 United Ilress Latin AmNrlram RtlllAr

island Of Puerto Rico, with a popu- latlon Of about 1870, 900, one of the worlds great centers Of sugar production, but an importer Of foodStuffs to feed It's own people, Is struggling today against one of the most serious food shortages that has ever affected a United States possession,
 Representatives of a number Of United States government agencies, apparently have not yet succeeded in co-oroinating their efforts to ob. tain a solution of this problem; but the principal factors seemed to be beyond their power to control them, These factors Include:
 1. Shortage of shipping to carry foodstuffs to Puerto Rico from the United states mainland,
 2, Lack of sufficient motor fuel for domestic distribution of a rela- lively narrow range of foodstuffs grown on the island,
 3. Activities of middle-men in cornering supplies Of some food products and running prices up be- yond the reach of the average con- sumer. The normal average an- nual income of the Puerto Rican was $l50. It is much lower now.
 1. A serious unemployment situ- ation, with an estimated 225,000 employables out of work and only 29,000 on the relief rolls.
 Live Mainly on Vegetables
 The principal staple food article of the Puerto Rican are dried cod- fish, beans and rice, In addition he consumes wheat flour, potatoes and other vegetables, The average Puerto Rican, the sugar worker and small farmer is not meat eater for the simple reason that he cannot afford to buy meat.
 Today, he and his family manage to eke out their existence on Veee- tables grown in the country, in- cluding yams, egg plants, plantains, cabbage and carrots. Oranges, bananas, grapefruit and pincapples are also grown.
 Consumers in the cities and towns are faced with tremendous price increases in these articles. Such items as eggs, bringing about one dollar per dozen, are now far out of reach of the average con- sumer.
 Rice, potatoes and codfish are imported. But they are not reach ing the island in the quantity needed to meet the needs of the population. Operators of schoon- CTS are not attracted to the trade because they seek outward bound payloads and the WIPE order gives sugar priority on outbound Voy- ages. The schooners are not equipped to load bags of sugar, and cargo of this product to the main land brings maximum of only Sl ,000 in freight rates, while rum cargoes are worth up to $5,000.
 While consumers await shipments of fish. flour, cooking oils and beans, recent freighters were re- ported to have brought in such ship mentS as $50,000 worth of toys and large quantity of dishes to be given away as premiums for break fast cereals. The cereals were not aboard.
 It has been difficult to ascertain what types of food planting have been financed; whether a distribu- ton of acreage for various products is well balanced, due partially to the fact that so many agencies are involved. They include the Farm Security Administration, the Emer- gency Loan Crop Administration, the Federal Land Bank, the Pro- duction Credit Association and the Federal Farm Credit Administra- | tion.
 The insular legislature is in spe- cial session to deal with the unem- ployment and food situations among other emergencies. The Senate has unanimously approved measure appropriating S10,0oo, 900 for public works to relieve un- employment and to finance pro- duction of food crops.