Detroit evening times., 1945-03-15

and our occupied part OF Italy
(where published news reports
say food is scarcer than in the
Nazi-held partO
THIS puzzling condition has
l. been accentuated by stimuli
taneous prospects that our own
domestic food supplies are going
10 become tighter and tighter
for the housewife until fall at
least.
Furthermore we are entering
planting season with the most
difficult production outlook since
the war started. with help
shorter and implements scarcer
than in the previous war years.
The move was absolutely
necessary-and overdue.
A foremost business man, just
back from Europe. is my au-
thority for reporting an over
accumulation of food in Britain.
For one example, he learned in
London from business sources
of four Argentine ships, loaded
with beef, refused entry and re-
quired to cruise around in the
waters offshore because store
houses were filled and docking
facilities limited by other sup
ply ships unloading
In Italy and Greece he was
informed that the Russian party
(the local people there no
longer use the word Communist,
but call Stains devotees "the
Russian partisans") had offered
importationS of food for politi-
cal considerations. Where the
Russians could get food for ex-
port he did not learn. He found
the Italians, nevertheless, gen.
orally favoring the American
occupation. despite the short
ages of fuel and clothing as
well as food.
Beyond this report, the Nazis
have flooded Holland with salt
water. Southern Italian fields
have not been cleared of mines
and shrapnel and cannot be
fully planted. Clearly Europe
cannot grow enough this year.
The problem of feeding Ger
many is coming up.
NOV while no Europe
~ seems to be getting food
Greece being in the same boat
as Italy and France nearby,
the army lend-lease, the Leh-
man outfit and the Commodity
Credit Corp. have been buying
and sending billions of dollars
of foodstuffs abroad according
to their announced figures.
The question. Where is it,"
is not the only one raised by
these facts (the dependability
of their source raises them
above the category of unau-
thoritative reports), but the
condition also seems TO inquire
if Britain and Russia have
stored or intend TO use our lend
lease food for the purpose of
building influence and prestige
on the conquered continent. If
so. our lend-lease commitments
could, well be whitfield down.
The Byrnes announcement
made il quite clear we can not
be too easy hereafter with our
supplies, shortages of meat,
butter, lard and canned fruits
and vegetables will continue TO
tighten for an indefinite period.
Why?
Well. year or two back, the
government still feared over
abundance and grossly miscal-
culated all along the food line.
Even last year the production of
hogs was arbitrarily cut. also
poultry. Spring production of
hogs was reduced % per cent.
Likewise, too much labor was
taken from the farms. too little
machinery ALLEGATIONS were
made.
WE WOULD not be even
w where we are had not we
been provided with unprece-
IDENTIFY good weather the past
two years. Can we get three
years of weather like that in a
row?
The only indication so far is
good. Winter snow has piled
high throughout the agricultural
belt and promises good subsur-
face moisture. Also winter
wheat is bounitful.
But the condition Is enough
10 alarm the whole inner circle.
Certainly il should discourage
continuance of the free-distribu-
tion on a 'what-do-you-wanr
rather than "we-will-see-what-
we-have" basis for Europe.
An end of the continental war
might allow release of some
men for harvesting and perhaps
might ease lend-lease demands,
but we will have to take on
third Of Germany, at least, and
certainly the end will not solve
the situation for this year.
The Job of feeding the world
seems 10 have proved too great
even for us-at least in the free
and easy way we tried 10 do II.
Distributed by King Features synd Inc.