Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-05-18

prospects commune favorable, rellel
will come to the, world within a few
months. BY September new supple.
should be available and the imme.
diate crisis will ease.
Estimates of Need.
I'm March last the Combined Food
Board in Washington made an esti.
mate of the amount Of food needed
by all the deficit nations for the firs1
six months of 1916, and of supple.
available from the food-surplus ma.
lions. These estimates of need were
based upon the requirements a.
stated by the nations who must hav.
overseas supplies. Adding in esti.
mates of the need between June ane
the fall harvest, the total require.
ments of cereals were listed at
roughly, 26,OO00O0 tons. For thu
same period supplies we're estimated
at 100000 tons. Thus, there wa!
an unbridgeable gap of 11,000,0 0t
tons, or nearly 43 per cent. And thai
would be calory level below human
endurance. That gap of 1900, O0t
tons spells death to millions.
What Of the Children?
And what of the children ir
Europe?
"TInis $500 calory bottom level is
dreadfully hard on children. 1t is
hard because larger portion of the
average ration must 60 to heavy
workers if essential services be kept
going. While this diet, which is as
much as IS per cent bread and the
balance little fat, sugar and vege-
tables, will pull adults through, it is
not adapted to children. Several
nations give them priority in what
little dairy supplies there are, extra
food is given in some schools; and
the charitable agencies are doing
the best they can. But in all, they
are touching only the fringe Of the
problem.
THE proof of this is an annual
infant mortality rate as high as
200 per 1000 among children
under l year in many cities. The
further proof is that there are
somewhere from 20 to 80 million
physically subnormal children on the
continent. After the war in 1919
1920, We gave good extra meal q
day, of 500 or 600 calories of restora-
tive food, to 100000 children.
deplore that this special aid for chill
dren has had no counterpart through
a widespread organization setur
after this war. Civilization marches
forward upon the feet Of healthy
children. 1t is not too late to stop
this most costly retreat and its
debacle of endless evil.
Some Hopes Offered.
There are some hopes of further
decreasing this gap of 3,600,OOO tons
First: Still more intensive con-
servation Of breadstuffs and fats in
North America. Before I went on
this journey, we asked the Amer
lean people to reduce their con-
sumption of wheat products to
pounds per week per person and to
cut their purchases of fats by 20 per
cent. Hundreds of thousands OF
families have responded by cutting
out wheat products all together
Public eating places in many cities
have co-operated. regret to say
there are too many who have not
co-operated with some hungry hui
man being. I earnestly hope that
every American will remember that
an invisible guest sits with him at
every meal.
Second: We have need that every
farmer bring every grain of cereal
to market.
1--WE are seeking for still further CO.
operation in other nations. The
Latin American states have re-
sponded to our appeals and to those
of Pope Plus XII for cooperation.
At President Truman's request, I
shall visit these governments to con-
suit with them on measures of CO.
ordination of our efforts.
Each Must Do Utmost.
IF we can succeed in persuading
every man and woman, every nation
to do their utmost, we shall master
this famine. And we shall save the
lives of hundreds of millions from
the greatest jeopardy in all the his
tory of mankind. We shall have
saved infinite suffering.
Il was asked by the President tc
undertake this work in a purely ad-
visory capacity and with the further
journey to the Latin American
states, my service ends. The re-
sponsibilities of administration oil
the programs have outlined lie
with our officials. I bespeak fol
them the full support of all Ameri-
cans in their efforts to meet this
terrible world crisis.
In conclusion, do need to rein
force this report with more urging
to do your utmost? I may repeat
again what I said three weeks age
from Cairo: IF every source of sup
plies will do its utmost, we can pull
the world through this most dan
gerous crisis. The saving of these
human lives is far more than an
economic necessity to the recovery
of the world. 1t is more than the
only path to order, to stability ano
to peace. Such action marks the
return of the lamp of compassion tt
the earth. And that is a part OF
the moral and spiritual reconstruc.
ton of the world"