The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-21

Edson riculture, renem- Der what happened to Secretary Claude Wickard last spring when he announced an incentive plan for increasing the production of es- sential war crops. The plan was al1- nounced as an approved adminiS- tration policy and the farmers begin to plan to plant their acreage acc cordingly. Then Congress slapped down the incentive plan. Wickard was left out on che end of limb That was one of the principal things which in the end cost him his job as War Food Administrator.
 Another false start like that and the confidence which the farmers have had in the Department of Ag- riculture would be gone forever. Judge Jones and his advisers know that, and 1t accounts for the fact that they have been playing their cards awfully close to the vest in the summer months.
 But times a-waistin' and this magnificent poker-faced display can't go on much longer if the l944 food goals are to be made and met. It's time for the bets to be placed and called so the farmers will know where they're at.
 CROP POW-W0W
 Within the next few weeks, there- fore, Judge Jones must take to the farm leaders in Congress whatever aces he has tucked up his sleeve, lay them on the table, get approval for whatever plan he has in mind. If the plan should call for appro- priation of government money to stimulate the production of needed crops, 1t will be incumbent on Con. gress to rush through the necessary authorizations. There will be no time for 8 lot of wrangling such as marked the fight over the subsidy payment program last spring. The longer Congress monkeys around, deciding what 1t wants to do about extending the life of the Commodity Credit Corporation, which has thus far been the agency Going the food procurement job for the govern ment, the greater will the farm pro- gram for 1924 be impaired. Winter wheat is already in the ground. Winter vegetables for the south have to be planted soon. Now is the time when the farmer must decide how big a crop of pigs he will far row next spring. The feed shortage Is acute and on its distribution or allocation depends the supply of meat, of dairy products, of poultry and eggs. ....
 The War Food Administration un- der the direction of Judge Jones has been meeting these problems open ly, only as 1t has had to. Winter wheat acreage goals were reached by putting the matter up to the states. All the wheat states were asked what could be expected from them. When the total didn't quite meet the anticipated 6S million acres, Kansas came through and promised to raise little more. This years acreage was only 54 million. 100 MILLION LITTLE PIGS
 The troublesome corn-hog price ratio has been met by OPA's new ceiling of SAYS per hundredweight on live hogs, effective Oct. 1. WFA approved this lower price to curtail the production of the record 127 million head farrowed this year to an estimated 100 million for 1944. More pork and pork products could be consumed, but there is not enough feed to fatten them, and conservation of feed supplies for dairy men and poultry men as well as stock men is of first importance. What it amount to is an admission that for 1944 and possibly 1945 there will be increased consumption of direct crop foods, and less consump- tion of foods obtained from live stock.
 The new licensing system for all ] slaughterers, which went into ef- feet in mid-AuguSt, is expected to start a movement to the coasts of meat animals from the big herds being held in the continent. It will not mean larger allowances of meat to U. s. civilians, but it will mean enough meat to validate all the coupons which have been is- sued in ration books. Beef animals may actually be down a million head from 1943's 13 million, sheep down two million from 55 million.
 Aside from these first moves, the major steps for assuring the correct distribution of foods in the United States have not been determined. How and to what extent the produc- tion of peanuts, soy-beans and other oil and protein foods is to be increased, how chicken and egg pro- duction can be made to meet in- creasing demands. how consumption of whole milk can be kept from go- ing above present levels and a greater production Of butter and cheese obtained-these are some of the key problems the Food Admin- istration must decide on soon. There is. fortunately, better work ing relationship between OPA and WFA than existed six or even four months ago. Transfer of James ?. Brownlee. former president of Frankfort Distilleries. from a job in WFA to be head of the price divi- sion in OPA apparently has made all the difference in the world. But they have yet to announce their full plans for the i044 food program.