Imperial Valley press., 1943-09-30
1Contjnued from page 1

| The nature OF the arrangement
which was made as an emergency
proposition to supply the imme-
diate needs of Imperial Valley and
Arizona was to the effect that a
substantial quantity of super
phosphate would be shipped to
these points promptly which would
augment the local supply and in a
measure take care of the normal
demand in these sections. The War
Food Administration made arrange
ments so that the material so con-
tracted by this organization would
be shipped through Triple A and
as a part of the arrangement this
organization was to work in CO.
operation with the fertilizer in
dustry in distributing of the ma
terial to farmers whose orders were
on hand with the various firms in
the fertilizer industry.
This was not in any sense a
Triple A program, but this organi-
zation originally was to be used as
a vehicle to facilitate the movement
of the material which, We repeat,
was to be distributed by the fer
tilizer industry with cooperation
of the Triple A.
"The material to be procured, for
the most part, was not material
taken under Triple A contracts. but
new material found by the War
Food Administration. Arrangements
were made with the fertilizer COM
mittee and the local horticultural
commissioner in Imperial Valley
to bring about equable distribution
, to supply material needed for the
earlier crops from the first ship
ments and such procedure to be
followed through the entire ship
ping period which would last be-
tween 30 and 40 days. Had this
procedure been followed. there is
no doubt that all parties at interest
would have been equally and fairly
treated.
NOT SATISFACTORY
1.-The arrangement. however. did
not meet with the approval of the
California U.S.D.A. War Board
with headquarters at Berkeley
whose head met with the advisory
committee of this board to discuss
the entire program and even
though members of the board
argued strongly for following the
program, the advisory committee
, was advised that there would be a
meeting. of members of the War
Board in Berkeley and there was
no assurance that the recommenda-
tions of the advisory committee
would be followed.
subsequently We were advised
by the California War Board rep
resentatives that the material would
be rationed on a basis of crop goals
giving consideration to "A" crops
and rationed in relation to "B''
crops that were most needed, and
that authority had been received
from Washington to proceed on
this basis. This will mean. in the
writer's opinion. very great con-
fusion on the part of the growers
in Imperial Valley and an inequity
insofar as the vegetable growers
particularly those growing lettuce
are D.. concerned, and If carried
through, will upset the entire pro-
gram arranged for the handling OF
superphosphate in the above men
toned areas.
''It is the writer's opinion that
there will be on the part Of a great
many growers in Imperial Valley a
Just condemnation of such a pro-
cedure, for most material will go to
forage crops and flax. if the pro-
gram outlined by the California
U.S.D.A. War Board is followed out
1.-The Triple A already has dis
| tributed all fertilizer available at
this time and it went to "A crops.
This is not intended as a critic
ism of Triple A, but to outline the
situation. We feel that if Triple A
felt that certain forage crops should
have had fertilizer, they should
have taken the initiative and have
procured fertilizer for these crops
and not disrupted the program ar
ranged by the fertilizer industry
which, in the writer's opinion,
would have fairly satisfactorily
handled the entire situation.
REGRETS ACTION
I'VE regret such a turn of affairs
and hope when the writer is in
Washington next week that he may
be able to change the thinking on
the part of officials who have ap-
proved this program.
1T is the writer's opinion that