Imperial Valley press., 1943-08-12
Freedom in |, Y.
CONGRESSMAN Finds
CContinued From Page Il

Continued From Page II
3ress a district which is so largely
agricultural and so distinctly Amer
ican in it's thought and actions.
LATEST JOKE
I'll have to tell you the latest Joke
in the Valley on the slide rule boys
in Washington. Only of my friends
down here has >)I years been M
porting wheat bran from Mexico.
His store is in Calexico, which is
divided from MeXicali only by
fence. He has always brought 1t
across the line with no trouble.
This year for a short time the
textbook boys put out a regulation
hat you have to have a permit.
During this short period my friend
,pplied for the necessary permit.
Before they go around to him, the
need for the permit was removed,
BIT I'll quote one paragraph in the
reply:
"As this product can be brought
in by rail from Mexico without
authorization, AND THE SHIP
PING SPACE AVAIARIE FOR
FOOD ON BOATS FROM THIS
POINT SHOULD BE USED FOR
MORE IMPORTANT COMMop-
ITIES, we regret that we must
deny this application"
The capitals are mine. The let
Ter is from the War Production
Board, in Washington, signed BY
Curtis E. Calder, Director General
FOR Operations, War Production
Board" which is a pretty fancy title,
but not nearly so fancy as the rup-
ber stamp. with all its curllcues,
with which the Director General
has his name stamped on his cor
respondence.
Some of these days let's all 20
down to Calexico and take a rae
on the boats that sail from there
to Mexicali!
So down here the farmers STRUGGLE
along. They send in Applications
showing that they have no equip
ment available and asking ioi
tractors. or whatever they need, 10
produce the extra food demanded
nv another agency of government
and the reply comes back, from
some young administrative genius
who obviously hasn't read the ap-
plication. use what you have!'
NEED FERTILIZER
They must have fertilizer immed-
lately. and in a phone conversation
with the head of that section OF the
WPB am given the hope that somt
small lot will be made available
later in the year. Can't some on'
in the office of War Food Admin
istration visualize an area where th'
seasons run ahead of the seasons
of New York, or Pennsylvania 0
Virginia? The farmers here know
as the trusting consumers OF III
cities will know by winter, and q
I have been saying in this column
since March a year ago, that we FAC
a milk shortage, due solely ana eH
clusively TO the Incompetence an
ineXperience of the young men Il
the OPA. who would infinitely rath
! ct utDtIlu VII d DliNlt iH'N NAA''iA
the seven years experience OF tn
California State Department o
Agriculture. whose capable director
Bill Cecil has been trying for
year to impress upon them the in
evitable results of their policies
Well. the people will know short
ly, and when the rising tide OF pun
lie opinion reaches its full, tn
OPA will go the way of pee-we
golf courses, knock-knock, handles
and other things of recent years
Then will come the sanity of com
petent administration. as in tn
last war, which actually kept dow
the prices TO the consumers. an
increased production, and not mere
ly promised to do so, and yet dit
it without harassing the bushes
men and farmers of America. Ma,
that day come soon, for the safet,
of the country, and the food sup
plies of the world.