Evening star., 1943-02-19
Cold Damages
Fresh Vegetable
Supply Of East
Comedies With Bon
On Con Sales; PorIey
Called at White House
OPA TO PERMIT INCREASE in
prices Of fluid milk in certain
sections. Page Az

SSCLlOlIS. rage AZ
BY the Associated Press.
Heavy damage to the Eastern
Seaboard's present source of
fresh vegetables was reported by
the Agriculture Department to-
day as the Government prepared
to freeze grocers' stocks of
canned and proceSSed fruits and
vegetables pending consumer ra-
tioning.
In report dispatched over its own
market wires. the department said
abnormally cold weather during the
last week in Florida-Where much of
the East's winter vegetables are pro-
duced-had destroyed the snap bean
crop, with the possible exception of
one area, and caused varying degrees
of damage to older paintings of
celery, cabbage, lettuce. lima beans,
green peas, tomatoes, eggplant, early
potatoes and citrus fruits.
This development came as the ad-
ministration called a White House
conference of its economic high COM
mand to discuss strategy for the
pressing home-front battle of food
production. Angry farm State Sem
ators have been assailing what they
termed "a bureaucratic merry-go-
round operating to hamper food
production.
Byrnes Presiding.
Summoned to the conference we're
members of the Economic Stabiliza-
ton Board, which is made up of
four cabinet members, including
Secretary of Agriculture Wickard,
chiefs of several Government war
and financial agencies and repre-
sentatives from agriculture. labor
and management. Presiding was
Economic Sterilization Director
James F.. Byrnes.
AS they assembled, demands
mounted in Congress for prompt
easing of labor shortages on the
farm as we'll as in industry with in
dications that a showdown is i'm
minent on proposed remedies
frowned on by military and adminis-
tration forces.
The Agriculture Departments re-
port on crop damage indicated
strawberry blooms and most berries
also had been destroyed. Likewise,
watermelon plants swere said to
have been killed. Among citrus
fruits, grapefruit alone escaped with
very little damage, the report said.
adding that oranges showed an
irregular pattern with complete
losses in low spots and variable in
! jury on high elevations.
Vegetable experts of the Food
| Distribution Administration said
the winter damage undoubtedly
would result in a material reduction
in truck crops in Eastern areas dur
ing the next several weeks They
said shipments from Florida were
expected to drop materially this
week end
Price Advances Seen.
A reduced supply next week would
parallel an increased demand for
fresh vegetables, because grocers
must take canned, frozen"pack and
other processed vegetables and fruits
off the market all next week while
the Office of Price Administration
issues new rationing books. Ra-
tioning of processed fruits and veg
etables is scheduled to start
March !.
Inasmuch as there are no price
ceilings on fresh vegetables, it is
quite probable, officials said, that
prices will advance and continue at
relatively high levels until new
paintings start producing and other
areas start moving supplies to mar
ket.
Before todays White House confer
ence, Senator Aiken, Republican, OF
Vermont charged that every time
a farmer Or his spokesman comes to
Washington with a problem he is
sent on a cycle of conferences that
lead only to dizziness"
Senator Aiken is on a Senate Ag-
riculture Subcommittee which
called three key men in the farm
price picture today to find out who
runs this merry-go-round" The three
are Marvin Jones, agricultural ad-
wiser to Mr.. ByrneS; J. K. Galbraith,
deputy price administrator, and Roy
F. Hendrickson, director of food dis
tribution.
May Force Action on Bills.
Determined to get action on bills
requiring military deferment of
farm workers and the furloughing of
others now in the Army, a large
bloc of Senators meanwhile threat
ened to force the measures from the
Military Affairs Committee if the
committee refuses to send them out
for a floor vote.
The Agricultural subcommittee
voted yesterday to investigate why
an armed force of 100000 is
needed.
The subcommittee acted to call
Gen. George c. Marshall next week
to justify the size of the proposed
Army after hearing from Maj. Gen.
Lewis B. Hershey, selective service
director, that his job merely was to
supply the men.
Gen. Hershey cautioned against
hobbllng the war effort and COM
pared the situation in his native viii
lage of 1872 inhabitants in the early
days to that of the Nation at pres
ent.
If 10 men from that village had
to go out and fight Indians and 20
or so stayed at home to mold bull
let's" he said, then if the 100 that
were left had called for some of the
10 Indian fighters to come home and
help wash the dishes, my village
wouldn't have survived. My fore
bears wouldn't rest easy in their
graves if they thought 100 million
Americans couldn't keep the country
running"
Senator Aiken objected that the
generals forebears had only Indians,
and not the OPA, to contend with.
Although leaders have insisted
there would be no compromise on
the administrations price policy.
Mr.. Wickard was described by aides
as being deeply concerned" over
the situation.