Evening star., 1947-10-26
Europe'sSoil
Needs Tonic
Continent Looks to
u. S. for More
NITROGEN
Bv Chalmers M. Roberts

grain now being freely talked about
as a probability unless rain comes
quickly. Worldwide hunger in
194s-9 surprising that Of the current
year, 1918. Is the dismal prospect.
America before the war exported
only some per cent of the grains
moving across national boundaries.
This year we are exporting 50 per
cent. A crop failure next year,
therefore, would be incredibly dis
astrous.
Twelve Tons for One
There is one hedge against the
effects OF a bad 1s48-9 crop which
is now being pushed by many of our
agricultural experts-the shipment
of fertilizers to the Is European
Marshall plan nations to help in
crease their own yield next year.
The secret of this hedge is the magic
ration of II to l.
For one ton of nitrate fertilizer
spread on the soil, II additional tons
of grain will be produced. Even the
figure IL is conservative one-the
results often reach Is for a ton.
The Europeans who drew up the
Paris Conference plan-the Com
mittee of European Economic Co
operation, as it is formally known
were very mindful of what fertilizer
can mean to their tired soil. They
count this form of help one Of the
"musts" of Marshall plan aid.
THE soil in many countries"
their report said, has been starved
of fertilizers and fertility must be
restored by substantial applica-
tions"
Where u. S. Can Help
The Paris report asks for these
quantities of nitrogen, the basic in
gredient of fertilizers which must
be supplied chiefly from the Urlited
States with some help from Chile:
For 1947-8 (before next June 30),
100000 metric tons; 1948-9, 229 900;
1949-5O, $1,000; 1950-51, none-the
16 European nations plan to be self
sufficient. The self -sufflciency in
the last year of the proposed four
year aid plan will result from
stepped-up production in Europe
from $4,000 tons produced in 1867
to over 1000 900 tons scheduled for
195O-51. AL these figures included
the western zones of Germany as
well as the 16 nations.
Here, If anywhere in the Marshall
plan, Is case where American
help-lots OF 1t and quickly-can
help to get major European in
dustry on It's feet and to bring
Western Europe much closer to being
sufficient in grain production.
That America recognizes the need
is we'll demonstrated by the special
report of President Truman's Com
mittee on Foreign Aid (the Harri-
man Committee), which had this to
say only month ago:
Some Commercial Users
80 the committee believes that
immediate attention should be given
to sthe desirability of increasing ex-
ports of nitrate fertilizers from the
United States to Western Europe.
With present rates of consumption,
the shift of a moderate tonnage of
nitrogen from use in the United
States to use in Europe would make
possible large net addition to
world food supplies. Such action
would have to be taken within the
next few months if additional fer
tilizer were to be available for allo-
cation in the spring of 1948."
These are the facts of our own
production and consumption: In
calendar 1947 our farms consumed
1885, 900 tons Of the 100000 tons of
nitrogen produced and this crop
year our farm consumption will be
around 100000 tons. The rest OF
our nitrogen is used commercially
In manufacturing of glass. ammuni-
tion, plastics and many other prod
ucts, but no one item is large
consumer.
The Commerce Department, which
has authority under the Second De-
control Act of 1947 to require nitro
gen producers to set aside certain
amounts for export. is planning with
the agreement of the Agriculture
Department to ship about $1,000
tons overseas in fiscal 1948, $4,000
of this tc the 16 Marshall plan ma
tions.
Trial Balloon Sent Up
When the Hartman committee
suggested 'the, shift of a moderate
tonnage" from use at home to ship
ment to these nations, it was think
ing of around 25,000 additional tons,
1t Is understood. This would amount
to only about 3 per cent of our
national supply, even after the 5000
tons already scheduled for world
wide export are shipped.
Political considerations enter into
establishment of this modest figure
the farm lobby is powerful and
vocal. When the decontrol act was
drawn up the power to set aside
fertilizers was included with the
understanding by farm legislators
that $4,000 tons for export would be
for the year AS a result Commerce
and Agriculture officials think they
should have some verbal congress
sional approval to ship any more
lest the farm legislators set up such
q howl as to destroy the entire
fertilizer-shipment program.
The Hartman committee sugges-
ton, then, was in the nature of a
trial balloon. The balloon is still
in the air. If no loud farm bloc
pot shots are heard in the next few