Evening star., 1943-08-12
Brewster
Continued From First Page

better if the North African economic
boards wheat contract were not con-
summated."
He leveled a general criticism of
lack of coordination and uniflca-
ton" against American civil
agencies functioning in North Africa,
including the Lease-Lend Admins
tration, the Office of Economic
Warfare and the Foreign Relief and
Rehabilitation Organization.
He said, Back in America people
won't understand that spread be-
tween wheat prices here and there
There is no military necessity of
the acquisition of these stocks by
the North African Economic Board
and the purposes for which the
wheat will be used are undecided
yet"
Senator Brewster also attacked a
1axity of gasoline consumption
which he said was evident in North
Africa, while in the State of Maine
I'VE are doing without more gas
than they are here
Senator Brewster asserted he had
received Official information that
1000 civilian vehicles in the Algiers
area consumed about $4,000 barrels
of gasoline in the last month. Three
thousand barrels of the total
amount were consigned to agricul-
tural activities, he said.
He spoke at a press conference
at which Senators Russell, Demo-
crat, of Georgia; Mead, Democrat,
OF New York and Chandler, Demo-
crat, of Kentucky also participated.
The fifth member of the party. Sem
ator Lodge, Republican, of Massa-
chusetts, was absent on tour of
Sicily.
Senator Russell was asked by
Stars and Stripes sergeant-reporter
what the attitude of Congress was
toward keeping draftees in service
after the war for an international
police force. Senator Russell re-
piled, II believe we could get enough
volunteers to do any police tasks
like that and those who want to go
home will be able to 60"
Senator Mead, fellow member
OF the Truman Committee, backed
up most of the facts cited by Sena-
tor Brewster and said he, too, was
disappointed by the lack of CO.
hesion yet attained by United States
and British civil agents in this the
ater as compared to the very high
degree of efficiency and uniflcation
of the Allied military forces under
Gen. Eisenhower"
Gasoline Liberality Criticized.
Like Senator Brewster, Senator
Mead criticized the "liberality'' of
gasoline consumption in French ter
ritorv.
I'VE have been assured that the
military authorities are trying their
utmost to correct the situation" he
added.
Both Truman compitteemen op-
posed putting the contract for
American purchases of wheat into
effect, but Senator Mead said Alex
ander B. Royce, American director
of war economics operations in this
theater, defended the contract on
the grounds it afforded reserves for
future emergencies, saved shipping
space and was not made under local
French pressure.
The Senators said the North Afri-
can crop was approximately 5000
900 tons of wheat Of which 10 to 20
per cent is surplus over the areas
own needs.
The French attributed the price
increases, the Senators added, to
higher production costs and the
continued presence of hundreds of
thousands of Allied troops. The
historic French policy has been to
subsidize North African wheat pro-
duction so that continental France
would be self f-Sufflcient.
Lease-Lend Operations Improving.
Senator Brewster said:
The battle of the agencies which
we have been having in Washington
and which led to Vice President
Wallace's reprimand seems to con-
tinue abroad There has been a
material improvement in the past
three months, however, in lease
lend operations here. But this wheat
contract Is startling. The price is
not required on military grounds"
Senator Mead said:
I'VE, Americans, are young and in
experienced In setting up civil ad-
ministrative Offices in distant coun-
tries. but, as the military machine
moves on from North Africa, there
needs to be a center of American
civil authority developed here.
Maybe Minister Robert Murphy
should be given higher authority or
some one with the power that
Winant Ambassador John G..
Winant) has in London should be
sent here as co-ordinator.
The British met the problem by
giving Macmillan Harold MacMil-
Ian. British Resident Minister in
North Africa adequate powers, and
In Egypt they have Casey (Richard
G. Casey, British minister of State
in the Middle East, with cabinet
rank"
All the Senators declined to dis
cuss the French Committee of
National Liberation.
IF there Is stable French gov