Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-16
Governors Back Plan
To Avert Farm Crisis
After Hoover Plea
Ex-President Stresses
Need for Quick Action
At Iowa Conference
Ey the Associated Press.

pES MONIES, Iowa. March IS.
Official representatives of u
corn belt States today were
agreed on program intended to
offset what former President
Herbert Hoover last night called
symptoms of dangerously de-
generating agriculture
Minutes before the former Chief
Executive pleaded for a strong home
front-eSpeclallY in the food sector
Governors of eight States and high
ranking officials of four others cul-
minated a day-long conference here
by drafting a series OF recommended
tons that, among other things,
urged the Federal Government to.
Recognize agriculture as an essen
tial war industry: release at once all
present stocks Of farm machinery
now In the hands of dealers or dis
irlbutorS, and provide enough mate
rails for completion of other units
not now finished; grant selective
service deferment for all expert
enced labor essential to farm produc-
itlon,' and terminate the present
unsatisfactory system of ALLEGATION
of such Qarm) machinery which
sends machinery where it is not
adapted"
Hoover Stresses Urgency.
Mr.. Hooyer'S speech closed the
conference called by Iowa'S Gov.
B. B. Hickenlooper.
The preamble of the declaration by
the officials said: The agriculture
situation is in a crisis. Unless we
have more manpoWer and more ma
chinery, food production cannot be
maintained. Already serious losses
in crop and animal products are i'm
mlnent. There can be no delay"
Mr.. Hoover's speech was along the
same line Of urgency.
The home front is as important
as the military front" said Mr..
Hoover, food administrator in World
War I.
We have weaknesses on the home
front. -" One of these weaknesses
is in the food sector. And indeed, Of
the different sectors of the home
front food is the greatest.
Unlike our case in the war 25
years ago, we have today at work
in America uncanny parallels with
the same degenerative forces that
have been so disastrous in Europe.
Like them We have drawn undue
manpoWer from the farms Our
farm machinery is wearing out fast
err than the replacement. our imports
of food are CuTtalled. our fisheries
are seriously restricted. :. We have
a price system in force that often |
strangles production and distribu-
ton.
An this sort of degeneration is /
progressive. Unless it is stopped in /
1913, it will be worse in 1914 and !
still worse IN 1945."
In travelling about I find there |
are from to 10 different Federal
agencies operating in each State
which in some degree affect the
farmer Many of them conflict with
each other and with the efforts of
the State and local organizations. 1t
would seem to me that the time has
come to recognize that the Cover
nors Of the States should be allowed
to make a great contribution in CO.
ordination of these agencies. ESpe-
clally there should be set up in each
State somewhere a single place that
the farmer can go to and get atten-
ton to his particular problems" Mr.. |
Hoover said.
There are questions Of the control /
OF food distribution and OF the stu |
alton Of housewives that ] could /
comment on at great length. A price /
and distribution method which /
stiles production, produces great /
areas of scarcity, allows the con- |
slant spread of black markets. that /
IN consequence depriyes the poor /
est consumers Of their lust share OF /
tood, IS amply subject TO criticism. /
l am disposed, as I said three
months ago, to give our authorities |
a chance to correct these things. !
But the patience of the country is
running short.
In all this I have discussed the /
question from our immediate point I
Of view of winning the war. But /
food must also win the peace.
When the firing ceases we will be /
faced with three or four hundred (
million starving people in Europe /
and China.
To save these millions of people F..
after the war IS not alone tran
sCendent act Of compassion. 1t is the !
0DlV ROAD n yNpacp Ty,11ace mn ctcY>
the degeneraJlVe forces on our food
front We viii have no supplies for
this purpose.
And unless we stop these degen-
eratlVe forces We Will weaken on the
military front he declared.
Each OF the public officials of the
dozen Midwest States had expressed
his views on the food situation The
recommendation which developed
from the speeches and from a
formidable conference which fol-
lowed were approved by the lol-
loving Governors.
Mr.. HjckenloopeT; Dwight Il.
Green, Illinois. Harry r. Kelly,
Michigan; F. C. Donnell. Missouri:
Dwight GrisWold, Nebraska. John
w. BTicker ONO, NJ. Q. Sharpe.
South Dakota all Republicans. and
II F. Schucker. Indiana. Democrat.
Respective representatives of the
Governors Of Kansas. Minnesota
North Dakota and Wisconsin also
approved the recommendations.
hrvv Poet Horo Givor