The Wilmington morning star., 1946-06-17
Today and Tomorrow
Rv WALTER LIPPMANN

By L
After a little study of the facts
and figures on food, I have-rataer
late in the day-learned something
which was quite new to me, ano' IL
there is no error in the argument,
of great practical importance. ~
has to do with the shortage OF 1atS
and oils, and it is that the same
measures which will insure a suttl-
cient supply for our own people
will provide a substantial adol1lon
for the people of Europe.
This is not, I think, the general
impression. Judging by what is
said in Congress and by the heart
felt pleas of those who have been
campaigning for American relief,
the question is whether we shall
be ero and self-sacrificing or
selfish and greedy. But as a matter
Of fact this does not-in regard at
least to the vital fats and oils
appear to be the real question at
all. For the truth appears to be
that unless we ration u fats and
oils, important sections OF this
country, and large masses Of U
people who can least well do with
out, are going to be seriously short
of fats and oils. On the other
hand, if we do ration fats and
oils our W people will be better
fed than they are otherwise gong
to be, and they will be able to
help the hungry people OF Europe
more than they will otherwise help
them.
7 know it sounds like a contra
diction to say that anything can
enable Americans and Europeans
to eat more Of the same 1000 at
the same time. But it is true, and
the reason it is true is that with
ont rationing of these precious
foods. the distribution will be
grossly inefficient and Waste1ul
Rationing is the only way OF pre-
venting the waste Of food through
inefficient distribution.
The amount of food that can be
saved by efficient distribution will
be enough to provide every Amerl-
can with more than enough and
hundreds of thousands OF Euro
peans with something more than
fearfully too little.
If the situation in the country
as a whole is what u most ex-
pert investigators say it is, then,
even if Europe did not exist, the
rationing of fats and oils would
be highly advisable in the United
States. For some months the De-
partment of Agriculture reports
have shown that it is more and
more difficult to buy fats and oils
in retail shops. The supply is not
meeting the demand, an din GER
tain areas il the South and on the
West Coast, there is already seri-
Gus complaint.
This situation will almost GER
tainly become worse. For on the
one side - that of total supply -
our production of fats and oils is
likely to be 10 per cent less this
autumn than it was a year ago,
and next winter and spring it may
be Is per cent less. The govern
ment-in order to conserve wheat
and corn for human food has
taken measures which make it less
profitable to feed livestock. Thus
it is predicted that the average
weight of hogs may be twenty
pounds less than it was last sum-
mer.
Now against this short supply
there is available a highly inflated
amount of money. This will, if we
do not regulate it by rationlng,
cause a fearful waste of precious
food. For while there is a tremen-
dwous amount of purchasing power
in the country, it is not spread
evenly among all the people. There
is much more purchasing power
in some areas-where wages and
profits are higher-than in others
where they are lower. And within
these areas there are, OF course,
those who have more money to
spend and those who have less.
If there were plenty of food, we
could let supply and demand oper-
ate freely in the market without
serious injury to the health and
comfort of the mass of the people.
But if we let an inflated demand
operate against a short supply, we
shall get a grossly inefficient and
unjust distribution. Some will eat
more than they need, in fact more
than is good for them, while their
neighbors and their fellow citizens
in other parts of the country will
be able to buy less than by rights
they ought to have.
A few basic facts and figures,
which will not, I believe, be dis
puted, clinch the argument. The
first is that an average of twenty
pounds of fats and oils per person
per year is the minimum necessary
for good health. Our consumption
of edible fats and oils is in this
year 1916 an average of forty-one
NOR norcop Thic iS doI1h1o |