Evening star., 1943-03-14
Americans to Have
Shortened Diet
By O,Uen L. Scott.


Americans will be on very different
and, in many cases, very short diet
before the end of 1943 This diet is to
be heavily weighted with starches, with
bread and potatoes. and rather lightly
weighted with proteins, with meat and
milk and fats
Food rationS as they are announced,
each time are little smaller than ex-
pected. The canned goods ration sur
prised people. The meat ration when it
comes is to do the same. The ration of
cooking fats and of butter will be rela-
lively small Out of that situation comes
much questioning and much concern.
Congress blames the Army and is trying
to cut down its size. There is evidence
that some high officials in the adminis-
tration are trying to shift responsibility
to the food administrator, Claude
Wckard
The facts. so far as they are available,
point to some causes other than those
popularity assigned for the growing tight
ness in food
Mr.. Wickard is found to have been far
ahead of both Congress and the White
House in his concern over the food out
look and in his efforts to try to deal with
the problem of getting more food. AS
long ago as 1910 he was busy trying to
gear agriculture to basis of expanding
production. He foresaw the farm labor
shortage and tried from the first to get
special consideration for farm workers
in the draft. He saw very early that high
wages on Government construction prof.
ects and in industry were going to drain
men from the farms. He argued against
cuts in farm machinery production but
was overruled by Donald Nelson. He
used the subsidy funds of the Agricul-
tural Adjustment Administration to stim-
ulate production of crops that the coun-
try needed in particular.
President Roosevelt for long time
refused to be concerned about food prob
lens. Mr. Wickard's policies had helped
in 1912 to bring the greatest farm output
in the Nations history. This tended to
give the White House feeling of COM
placency about food. Now that this COM
placency is upset there is tendency to
blame the food administrator.
Actually, two big factors are at work.
limiting the amount of food that will be
available to this countrys civilians.
The first, of course is the military
demand. Although soldiers consume only
about one quarter more food on the
average than do civilians. there must be
care of contingencies. to make up for
losses at sea and in battle and to stock
up in areas of the world where Amer
lean troops may appear. Military de-
mand is taking a very big slice of the
Nations canned goods. It is cutting into
some other supplies but. by itself. this
demand would not give the United States
food problem
The second is much more important
factor than the country has realized
that of lend-lease. Under lend-lease
there will be heavy export of types OF
food which the United States never has
produced in large surplus for export and
which it always has consumed at home
in great quantities.
What this is to mean can be understood
from the following report of planned
lend-lease exports:
First, this country has promised to
ship abroad during l943 one sixth of all
meat produced under the high produc-
ton goals laid down. More than one
fourth of all pork is scheduled for Ship
ment to England, Russia and other lend
lease nations. The amount of beef, veal
and mutton will be around per cent.
Next, there is the big field of milk
products. More than 35 per cent of all
cheese to be produced during l943. if
production goals are met, will 90 for lend
lease. About S per cent of the Nations
butter is to be exported. About 40 per
cent of all dried milk and one-sixth of
condensed milk is scheduled for lend
lease.
Then comes the field OF cooking fats
and oils, including lard. One-fourth of
all production is to 60 for lend lease.
Until the war with Japan this country
had imported large part of it's fats and
oils from the Philippines and Dutch and
British possessions. Now, instead of i'm
porting, the United States is to export.
When it comes to eggs. nearly one
fourth of the total expected production
will go for lend-lease in the form of dried
eggs. One sixth of all canned and frozen
fish will be exported where once this
country imported fish. Lend-laese, how
ever, is taking few canned goods and
wants next to no wheat or -four, of which
this country has surplus.
Lend-lease demand centers in the foods
of which the United States never has a
real surplus. That demand means that
Americans will have to divide up these
protein foods and get along on a rather
skinny diet of them. Also, in the guam
titles listed above there is no provision
for relief food for any occupied countries
and the proportions are based on pro-
duction goals that are so high that few
officials expect them to be realized.
The result is that the American people
can expect that their 1943 and 1914 diets
will be restricted. There probably will
be an abundance of potatoes and Of
bread, There should be enough whole
milk to meet most demands. There will
be a scarcity of protein foods which will