Evening star., 1943-03-06
Growing Food Crisis
Spurs Congress Plans
For Manpower Action
Prompt Consideration
Of Form Deferments,
Production Army Asked


Of Form Deferments,
Production Army Asked
By the Associated Press.
Growing alarm over potential
food shortages today set off a
congressional race for rem
edial manpower legislation and
brought a farm bloc demand for
immediate executive action on
the production program.
Concern over feeding and equip
ping armed forces as well as civil
ians was displayed In numerous
Capitol quarters, producing parallel
appeals for prompt action on bills to
keep agricultural labor on the farms
and to mobilize a n-combatant
army of $1,000, 900 men and women
for war production.
At the same time, an unofficial
farm bloc organization composed of
one representative from each State
planned to take to the White House
demand that Government agency
heads dealing with farm problems
be required to reach quicker agree
ment on a co-ordinated food pro-
duction program.
Fulmer Heads Group.
Representative Fulmer, Democrat,
of South Carolina was appointed
head of a Policy Committee of 13 to
draft a suggested farm program
when the organization met last
night. He said the unsettled man
power outlook and farm machinery
problems had the entire agriculture
picture muddled and that there
must be a decision as to whether
production was to be increased by a
general rise in prices or incentive
payments.
The increasing tempo also brought
these developments:
l. Expressed determination by
Senator Bankhead, Democrat, of
Alabama to force a Senate vote
Tuesdy on his bill calling for blan-
ket deferment of farm workers.
2. Submission OF substitute meas
ure to de1er only farm labor pro-
ducing a specific amount of COM
modities considered essential to the
war.
National Suicide Feared.
3. A protest from Senator Nye,
Republican, of North Dakota that in
planning an armed force of 1l,000,-
600 this year military leaders are
ignoring" the Nations inability to
supply them and are causing "us to
wade out to a depth that could mean
national suicide"
Meantime, the Senate Military Az
fairs Committee planned to resume
public hearings Monday on the
Austin -Wadsworth national service
legislation with three witnesses who,
committee members said, are ex-
pected to urge its enactment.
While Senator Bankhead predicted
Senate action on-and passage Of
his farm worker deferment bill
Tuesday, Majority Leader Barkley
refused to make any predictions
when a showdown will be forthcom-
ing.
Senator Bankhead declared he
was opposed to the substitute
drafted by Senator O'Mahoney,
Democrat, of Wyoming because, he
said, it would require farmers to
petition for deferment which he
believed they would refuse to do.
! The Senate also had before 1t
Senator Nye'ss appeal to reduce the
Armyas projected size. He declared
yesterday that to permit consuma-
ton of the military program is Ito
deny our Allies all the help they
need on the machinery and food
fronts and to bring hunger and
food riots in our own country"
Declaring that even some mill
tary leaders maintained apparent
doubts" of the Nations ability to
supply 100000 men with food,
machines and ships, he proposed
that Congress reorganize military
strategy "even though it means pos
sibility Of longer war but surer
victory"
Acute Hunger Forecast.
Meanwhile, James G. Patton,
president of the National Farmers
Union, said yesterday that the Ma
ton faces acute hunger unless Con-
gress quickly establishes a food
policy designed, among other things,
to make full use of the "produc-
tive facilities of 1000, 900 inefficient
farmers"
The Governments present food
program will not obtain the neces-
sary output OF food, he said, be-
cause of conflicts between the ad-
ministration and Congress, failure
Of Government agencies to co-ordi-
nate policies affecting food and
failure of the food program to util-
ize available agricultural manpower
fully.
Mr.. Patton outlined for reporters
a food-production program which
he also laid before the Economic
Sterilization Board headed by Di-
rector James F. Byrnes. Mr.. Pat
ton is a member of the board.
S1,VVVSVVV WV hAu
That program called for an i'm
mediate investment of $1,000 ,0O0,-
900 by the Government in produc-
tive facilities for farmers now pro-
ducing less than capacity because
of lack of capital.
Other proposals included organi-
zation Of neighborhood machinery
and labor pools, extension of more
guaranteed prices to farmers, in
cluding crop insurance, further con-
solidation of Federal farm agencies
at county and State levels, and en-
couragement of greater production
and use of feeds by making Cana
dian and American supplies of wheat
available to livestock and dairy feed
ers at lower prices than now pre-
vail.
Mr.. Patton, in response to ques-
ton, said he did not believe full
responsibility for the present "in-
adequate and ineffective" food pro-
gram should be charged to the Agri-
culture Department.
More Funds Asked.
The farm labor leader explained
that the department cant do the