Evening star., 1943-11-01

NJ SsbN& uNShhNDbh
titled, and to prevent it from being
dlsslpated BY ceiling violations.
This program is intended sub
stantially to effectuate the directive
Of the Congress. We are confronted.
however. by acute pressures else
where which threaten TO break
through the line. There are TWO
situations which require immediate
action. These are milk and bread
basic items in every familys diet.
In the case Of milk, increases in feed
costs and other costs have brought
the dalrNmans returns down TO a
level far below that of producers of
other farm commodities. Adequate
production of this vitally important
food Is threatened. A program has
Just been announced by the War
Food Administration to help meet
the milk situation. This IS discussed
hereafter in connection with the
problem of supplying feed to dairy
farmers. A program to prevent an
increase in the price Of bread is now
btllls utNelopeQ.
In the four years following July.
1914, the advance in food prices was
81 per cent as compared with rise
OF Al per cent in the last four years.
In the four years of the last war.
the greatest rise in the costs of the
average family occurred in prices
for clothing and housefurnlshlngs
Housetmnlshings rose 30 per cent,
and clothing 80 per cent. The gen.
eral maximum price regulation Of
Nav. 1912. prevented such an ex-
treme increase in this war From
August. 1899 to September. l943. the
increase in clothing and housefur-
nlShlngS was only one-third as much
as in the same period of the last war.
Since August. 1899. the month be-
fore the war broke out in Europe.
the total cost Of living in the United
States has increased not quite IS
per cent, as compared with an ad-
vance of 50 per cent in the same
period in the last war.
Feed for Dairy Cattle.
The price of grains used as feed
for cattle has also advanced to a
greater degree than the price of
dairy products. Grain prices have
advanced more than so per cent
since l94l, while the price of dairy
products has advanced only about
40 per cent.
To those who recognize the i'm
portance of milk. butter and cheese
in maintaining a healthy, vigorous
civilian population, this increased
cost has given real concern about
the supply of dairy products.
In order to enable dairy producers
to obtain feed for their cattle with
out raising the price of their milk
and other dairy products to the con-
sumner. the War Food Administra =
ton has adopted a program of
making payments to dairy farmers
based on the increased cost of tlxir
purchased feed since September
1912. The payments will be made
directly to the dairy farmer. except
in those cases where it may be de-
slrable to make the payment to him
through a cO-opera tive association
or other marketing agency.
While the program as announced
IS for three month period. some
form of equalization payment will
probably be necessary as long as
the margin between feed costs and
dairy prices remain unfavorable.
In order to relieve the pressure on
our feed supply, the War Food Ad-
mlniStration has announced re-
ductlon in the support price for hogs
effective on October l, 1914. and has
removed certain slaughter quotas.
The purpose of this is to encourage
hog raisers to market their hogs
earlier and at lighter weights.
In addition to this program. the
War Food Administration is bring
ing in large quantities of grain from
Canada for feeding purposes. This
movement has been hampered by a
series of transportation difficulties
including the late blocking of Buff
falo Harbor with ice and the unusual
fog during this summer on the
Great Lakes.
In spite of these difficulties, there
has been shipped from Canada to
the United States during l943 up
to date, approximately 125,ooo, 900
bushels of feed of all kinds. AS
much additional grain will be
brought in as transportation facili-
ties will permit.
Furthermore, every effort will be
made to see that the supply of feeds
is distributed equitably throughout
the country, the War Food Admin
istration is taking such steps and
absorbing such transportation costs
as may be necessary to secure this
objective
Rationing and Distribution.
The greatest difficulty in the food
program has been to bring about a
fair and equitable distribution of
the available food supplies. 1t is
obvious that there is not enough
to furnish all civilians with all the