Evening star., 1943-05-25
Stettinius Is Silent
On Russian Demand
For Lease-Lend Food
Conference Unit Named
To Handle Relief May Be
Toll Thot Woes Dog
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
HOT SPRINGS, Va, May 25.-
The United Nations Food Con-
ference. which convened here
last week with its gaze fixed or
distant goals of plenty, was con-
fronted today by an urgent
Soviet demand for more food
noW-food for the Red Army and
the populations it is iberating.
Russia will need food after the
war. too Chairman A. D. Krutikov
of the Soviet delegation told a press
conference yesterday. In fact. he
said the need for food relief will be
urgent during the entire period OF
restoration of the Soviet agricul-
ture"
The Russian delegations emphasis
on immediate needs was further
stressed when Mr.. Krutikov, in re-
ply to questions, said his country Is
not getting enough lease-lend food
from the United States.
Our lease-lend food requirements
are not being completely fulfilled" !"
he asserted.
Stettinius Silent.
In Washington Lease Lend Ad-
ministrator Edward r. Stittinius, jr.,
would not comment, but other ofn-
cials said Russia's food needs were
III, larcfn1I there
In his report to Congress March
II, Mr.. Stettinius said, Food ship
ments to Russia in January and Feb
ruary were 35 per cent greater than
In the previous two months and five
times what they were in January
and February, 1912"
He added in statement on March
20 that Russia and Great Britain
were receiving about equal proper
tions Of lease-lend food. Mr.. Krutl-
kov pointed out that the question OF
lease lend food was not a problem
for the Hot Springs conference. but
concerned the governments OF the
United States and Russia.
The Soviet delegations press con-
ference. its first since the food parley
opened, followed issuance Of a Brit
ish memorandum Sunday stresslng
the priority of immediate food re-
lief needs over longer-range plans
and a statement Of the French dele
CATION appealing for early action to
help impoverished France.
The Anglo Franco Russian empha-
sis on immediate needs was reflected
in the setting up Of subcommittee
to study the problem Of bridging the
zap between wartime food programs
and the longer-range objective Of
the conference.
Tail May Wax Dog.
It still remained to be seen whether
the subcommittee will become the
tail that eventually will wag the con-
ference dog. A possible solution was
seen in the early calling OF United
Nations conference on relief and re-
habilitation. With announcement
of a definite date for such confer
ence, the food parley could put its
long range problems in the hands Of
a continuing organization and ad-
iourn, leaving the field clear for re-
lief.
Assistant Secretary OF State Dean
Acheson said last week, during 4
visit to the food conference, that a
United Nations conference on relief
would be called soon. but added that
no date or place for the parley had
yet been chosen.
Meanwhile, the United States del
egation suggested that millions Of
persons may have to be moved in
order to make this betterf fed
world
A summary of memoranda, circu-
lated to delegates. explains these
population adjustments might in
some cases involve emigration of
surplus workers, internal resettle-
ment projects. a shifting OF farm
labor into factories, or a combina-
ton of all three.
What points to such population
adjustments, it asserted, is that the
fact that "the areas of the world
in which food Is produced by a
rather highly developed technology
are limited chiefly to those within
the temperate zones, and they in
clude only one-fifth of the worlds
population.
Other Suggestions.
Other suggestions advanced in the
summary of memoranda (ofncias
stressed that this must not be con-
sidered as an American plan but
only as series of suggestions ac-
companied by data include:
l. Establishment of an interna-
tional agency to collect economic
data for international planning.
2. National and international
measures for opening up new areas
Of production, through irrigation,
fertilization and drainage, and for
conserving the productivity of other
areas through erosion control. crop
rotation, disease and insect control.
3. Creation of an adequate mar
keting system through the efforts
Of private and cooperative market
ing agencies and national govern
ments
4. Wider food distribution through
consumer subsidy measures such as
making the right foods available at
low cost for nursing mothers, for
infants, for school children and for
low-income groups unable to buy
satisfactory diets.
S. International commodity ar
rangements to assure equitable prices
and adequate supplies of certain ag-
ricultural products. These arrange
ments should include provisions for
encouraging producers of commodi-
ties in surplus supply to shift to
other commodities for which there
Is greater need.
Bradley Demands Probe.
In Washington. in the meantime,
Representative Bradley. Republican.
of Michigan. demanded congress
sional investigation of the food con-
ference. declaring the American off,
-9>N-