Evening star., 1943-02-13
185,O00 Tons Of Steel
For Farm Machinery
Anocated by WPB
Second Quarter Release
Will Put Output at
40 Per Cent of 1910

Some measure of relief for hard
pressed farmers who list lack of
farm machinery high among the
threats to achieving 1943 food pro-
ductlon goals was seen today with
the War Production Boards alloca-
ton Of $4,000 tons Of steel for
manufacture of such equipment.
WPB's Requirement Committee
allocated the steel for the second
quarter of the year and estimated
1t would make possible farm ma
chinery production at the rate of 40
per cent of 1910
Meanwhile, Chairman Smith of
the Senate Agriculture Committee
announced that subcommittee had
voted to call Secretary of Agricul-
ture Wlckard early next week as
the first witness at hearings which
the South Carolinian said would ex-
pose the peril in which administra-
tlon farm policies have placed our
food program"
Mr.. Wickard will be followed bv
heads Of Government agencies con-
cerned with the production, trans
portatlon and distribution of food
here and abroad, Senator Smith
said.
Plans to BLOW Lid Off,"
We are going to blow the lid of
so the public will know the desper-
ate outlook for food production due
to price fixing, the manpoWer short
age and the lack Of farm machin-
cry" he added. The people are fed
up with policies that won't feed
them, and this committee is fed up
with the habit Of saying, Yes, sir
Mr.. Boss to every bureaucrat down.
town"
Farm machinery manufacture has
been limited, as result of WPB
withholding priorities, to 20 per cent
of 1910. Farmers have maintained
this was far below their actual needs
particularly since they had been
asked to produce the biggest crops
on record.
WPB promised Mr.. Wickard thai
all Of the material will carry Al
priority ratings. the same giver
most must" military production.
AS farmers are leaning heavily or
replacement parts to keep their ole
farm equipment going, WPB has
permitted the production of repair
parts to continue at 167 per cent o1
the 1910 figure. This same rate was
allowed in the first quarter though
previously it had been 1875 per cent
Farm Employment at New Low.
The Agriculture Department re-
ported yesterday that farm employ
ment-still No. threat TO the food
for-victory program-on February
was the lowest for that date since
the department started compiling
such information in 1924
Employment was estimated at g.
$4,000, including 6.638000 family
workers and 1871 900 hired hands
The number OF family workers vir-
tually was unchanged from a year
ago. but the number of hired work
ers was 8 per cent less, with the de-
cline being greatest in the Midwest
Mr.. Wickard has said agriculture
would need more than l20OO.OOO
workers when operations reach a
peak next summer.
The department said that many
OF its local farm labor reporters an
ticipate a severe shortage of sea-
sonally hired workers for such ac-
tivities as the production of fruit
and truck crops, cotton, tobacco and
sugar beets.
Reports Of the scarcity of skilled
year-round help for dairy and poul-
try farms also persisted" the de-
partment said, but total milk pro-
duction during January surpassed
the record established for the month
last year, and egg production was
substantially higher than a year
ago."