Evening star., 1947-09-15
Voluntary U. S. Food Rotioning
To BoIk Coming World Famine
Is Urged by Cabinet Officials
Friendly Regimes
Collapse Is Feared
If Hunger Grows


for the first time voluntary food
rationing in this country to help
meet the world crisis, but there
was every indication that Amer
ica's housewives face another
week of peak prices with no re-
lief in sight.
In Washington Acting Secretary
of Agriculture Dodd said the vol
untary program--for both food and
feed-was the only way to keep
famine out of many countries this
winter"
In Cleveland, Secretary OF Com
merce Hartman said there were
only three ways he knew by which
America can help feed the people
of Western Europe this winter
reinstate Government controls, bid
up the price of wheat to a point
where it will not be profitable to
feed it to animals, or for each OF us
to exercise" a degree OF restraint
in what we buy and eat.
First Official Suggestions.
Two other prominent Americans
also have called for voluntary ra-
tioning-Senator Taft, Republican,
of Ohio, who proposed last week
that consumers eat less as an aid TO
holding the price Line" and Chester
C. Davis, Federal Reserve Board
official who is chairman OF COM
mittee now studying the extent TO
which agriculture can help carry out
the Marshall Plan for Europe.
Undersecretary Dodd's comment
went so far as to say that voluntary
rationing would be the only way to
avert famine abroad and prevent
the collapse of friendly European
governments.
Less Buying Suggested.
Mr., Dodd suggested that consumers
trim their buying of meat, poultry
and dairy products and that farm
ers cut down on the amount OF
grain fed to livestock.
Mr.. Dodd's statement was made
at a press conference called to dis
cuss his recent attendance at the
Geneva Conference of the Food
and Agriculture Organization. He
is undersecretary but has been act
ing as head of the department for
about q month in the absence OF
Secretary Anderson, who has been
on vacation.
Mr.. Dodd told reporters that
the Famine Emergency Committee,
headed by Mr.. Davis. was being
busted off" with view to making a
contribution to the food situation.
This committee led a drive last
spring for increased grain exports to
meet world demand
Mr.. Dodd said he thought VOL
untary program for rationing would
work. The story of Europe and
Asias needs for food this winter and
the necessity for sacrifices in the
United States could be told through
press and radio, he said.
Sees Widespread Hunger.
There will be more people in the
>vorld who will be hungry this VIM
ter than those who are well fed, Mr..
,Dodd asserted.
Among the reasons he cited Tor
the world food crisis were Cd de-
terioration of crop conditions In
Canada within the last so days, %
a loss of 100000 acres of winter
grain in France, Belgium and West
ern Germany: 80 unspecifled loss
OF root crops in Europe from long
summer drought: "a a smaller grain
crop than last year in Argentina.
and 90 a sharp drop in United
States corn production.
Consumers could eat meat with
less fat and finish on it, Mr.. Dodd
said, adding that grass-fed cattle
makes almost as good meat as live
stock fed on grain.
This would mean more grain
would be available for export, he
explained.
MIR. Dodd said the time may come
this winter when only the United
States will have any grain to allo-
cate to foreign countries.
Mr.. Dodd commented that the
Russian people were on "terrificly
short bread grain rations, but that
the Soviet government had a small
amount of grain to contribute to
certain countries for political pur-
poses"
If increased food supplies are not
made available very soon, there
will be some new governments in
western Europe awfully quick" he
said.
Decision Need Pointed Out.
In his address, which was before
a luncheon of the Cleveland Cham
Der of Commerce and the Cleveland
World Trade Organization. Secretary
Hartman said, The American peo-
pie must decide whether our wheat
is to 60 to hungry people in Europe
or whether too much is to be con-
sumed by animals and poultry in
this country
Then he added:
Famine conditions breed the
political chaos on which dictator
ships have always thrived. We all
know that the forces of communism
plan to seize power at the opportune
n1oment-the moment, that is, of
chaos-and retain power perma-
nently with the establishment of the
police state
Declaring that Americans on the
average are eating Is per cent more
-TCao DpTCFC pace Al