Evening star., 1943-06-30
BY ALF M. LANDON.

IuarQ, nedQeQ Dy marry HOPKINS
is repeatedly directing the food pro-
gram of the administration. This
goes far to explain the critical sit
uation rapidly developing in the
American pantry.
According to Washington report
erS, the men who constitute this
inner circle are hidebound New
Dealers whose sole obsession is their
private brand of social reform and
who are marked by a complete
ignorance of the real place of agri-
culture in the national life and an
equal lack of interest in its welfare
Chester Davis, whose resignation
as War Food Administrator was ac-
cepted by President Roosevelt Mon
day, gave up his post because he
could not support Mr.. Roosevelt's
food subsidy program and because
of lack of authority over food-policy
matters. Mr.. Davis background
certainly indicates he could be
trusted with the national food prob
lems but during this three months
In Office he was allowed to say little
about food policies.
Cites Paradox.
Secretary of Agriculture Wickard,
also man familiar with farming
and real life, is treated as a non-
entity Do We need to look any
further than this for an explana-
ton of the paradox that we have
the greatest livestock population in
our history. the greatest tonnage of
livestock feed ever available--and
still are faced with threats of a
meat, poultry and dairy products
famine?
To illustrate concretely, the II
principal livestock markets were
down one-third the first four days
of last week in receipts of cattle and
calves as compared with a year ago.
In fact, the receipts of those mar
KetS have been on a reduced scale
for many weeks. BY and large, it is
only from those markets the Ameri-
can family gets meat to eat.
Two blunders of the administra-
ton have been to force down the
price of livestock to the point where
the producers will not market their
livestock because they feel the
prices are too low in relationship to
the general price level. In other
words, the prices of livestock have
not gone up in relation to wages
and to the cost of replacing equip
ment the farmer needs in his daily
operations.
Charges Bungling.
i,,,,
OF the same factors. The feed pro-
ducer with his bins bulging and his
feed stored in temporary quarters
Is not willing to sell his feed at the
level OF prices set by the admins
tration, and as result the feeders
OF livestock find it impossible to
secure adequate feeding supplies for
continuing operations. This bun
Cling by the administration of food
for the people demands an imme-
diate solution.
The recent order to freeze about
100000 bushels of corn stored in
elevators at primary markets is a
step In the right direction, but it
can no more be claimed as a solu-
ton than throwing one drop of
water on conflagration can be ex-
pected to affect it.
The problem will be solved in the
end. and that is evidently what the
administration has in mind, by
glutting the market with livestock
that can no longer be held in the
feeders hands because fat livestock
must be marketed when it is ready.
But the livestock industry will be
destroyed. 1t will take years and
years to rebuild the herds and a
Tree and independent agriculture
VIII no longer exist in the United
States of America.
Destructive Solution"
This destructive solution will be
at the expense of agriculture. And
after decade of low prices, Gov
ernment subsidies and administra-
ton promises to do something for
American agriculture, the farmer is
entitled to reasonable profit in
line with returns received by in
dustrial workers.
And he does not want subsidy
out of 1t, either A Government SUBJ
sidy only complicates the picture
and makes for another army of bu-
reaucrats issuing conflicting and
confusing questionnaires and orders.
AL the Government food program
up to date has accomplished is black
markets for meat in the cities, and
black markets for the corn to the
producers in the country.
In the last war we had no black
markets, no local famine. We were
shipping more food to our Allies
than we are now, prices rose less
and even after the armistice we
were able to ship 100000 900
pounds of food to Europe. Today
the reverse of this record confronts
the American people under the ma
chlnery now in motion in Washing
ton.
l believe the situation warrants a
full-f1edged congressional investiga-
ton Of what we must do in food to
avoid losing the war or the peace
or both
and-Ownership Threatened.
Every housewife knows by this
time how badly the administration
has bungled the food situation. It
shows what sinister bureaucratic
rule can do to the food supply of a
rich and mighty agricultural ma
ton.
An enduring civilization has never
been built except on the ownership
of the land by the man who works
it. Mr.. Rooseevlt's policies are
threatening that ownership.
The too-slick politics of supply
Ing the cities with too-cheap food at
the expense of the farmer must not
be permitted to wreck the founda-
tion of our civilization. Eventually
that also will prove to be a deadly
loss to the city dwellers.
A prosperous agriculture Is the
only anchor of economic stability
time has indicated we can possibly
have. The mighty Roman Empire
bled itself to death by draining its
whole agricultural life to give the