Evening star., 1946-04-11
Anderson Describes
British Proposal as
UnworkobIe Here
By Joseph H. Boird

Further restrictions on the
consumption of wheat in the
United States were forecast to-
day in administration circles, but
Secretary of Agriculture Ander-
son has informally turned down
"a British proposal for the ra-
tioning of bread both here and
in the United Kingdom.
After the British suggestion had
been made to a meeting of the Com
bined Food Board late yesterday,
Mr.. Anderson and Sterilization Di-
rector Bowles conferred with Presi-
dent Truman. Later, the Secretary
told reporters:
THE circumstances that would
make rationing workable in England
are entirely different from condi-
tions in the United States. 1t is
much easier for a small nation, de-
pending mostly on imports, to con-
troll the distribution of wheat than
for large nation like the United
States, which produces so much
wheat over such a large area.
Critical Period Ahead.
"Our most critical period in this
country will be between now and the
next harvest, and it does not seem
likely that We could put rationing
into effect for a difficult commodity
like bread in time to help in this
critical period"
The Secretary added, however.
that the Government was prepared
to take any necessary steps to save
wheat in order to increase exports
to starving countries. He has di-
rected aides to prepare an order
cutting millers' sales to bakeries and
other large-scale flour users by 25
per cent.
Mr.. Anderson also inquired why
the British proposal had not been
made to other big wheat-producing
countries, such as Canada, Argen-
tina and Australia.
His remarks followed the issuance
by the Crop Reporting Board of the
Agriculture Department of a state
ment forecasting a bumper winter
wheat crop of 830,636 900 bushels,
compared with 823,177,000 bushels
last year and a 1854 average of
618,019,000, but showing present
stocks on farms to be only 1868, 800 600
bushels. The report indicated that
supplies may be only three-fourths
of the amount necessary to meet
current domestic and foreign de-
mands.
Briton Makes Proposal.
The British proposal was read to
the Combined Food Board yesterday
by Maurice Hutton, the British mem
ber. The meeting had been called
primarily to hear Director General
La Guardia of the United Nations
Relief and Rehabilitation Admins
tration present a plea for additional
food for famine-menaced countries
in Europe and the Far East.
After pointing to shortages of
WtiSoU III 1llQid dllu oOuU1l
and near-famine conditions in Italy,
Poland, Greece and Yugoslavia, and
recalling that the United States has
been unable to meet the wheat ex-
port schedule set up the first of the
year, the British proposal continued:
I'm view of all these circumstances
and the special needs of the UNRRA
countries to which Mr.. La Guardia
has drawn attention, His Majesty's
government have informed the
Combined Food Board that they are
willing to introduce the rationing
of bread in the United Kingdom if
the United States is prepared to
adopt the same policy concurrently.
''Short of this, his majesty's gov
ernment are prepared to adopt ad-
ministrative measures of a COM
parably effective nature to those
which the United States are pre-
pared to adopt, aimed to save wheat
and flour so that both countries
may make the fullest contribution
in the interest of the peoples of
the world who are faced with
starvation and famine"
The latter proposal was under
stood to mean that if the United
States would not agree to bread ra-
tioning, then the British would
adopt such measures as the pro-
posed order here cutting supplies of
flour to bakers by Is per cent.
The British proposal was made
as Mr.. La Guardia plead for an
emergency ALLEGATION of 900, 900 tons
(See FOOD, Page A-6.)