Evening star., 1948-08-16
French Wheat Harvest
May Be Double 1947;
Potato Crop Is Good

PARIS, Aug. Is (CD.N0.-1n
the rich farmlands north and east
of Paris French peasants are busily
harvesting the most encouraging
news this saddened country has had
in long time-its best postwar crop
Of wheat.
American agricultural experts es-
innate this year the farmers will
CLEAN 7,245 900 metric tons - more
than double the meager 3.266,000
metric tons that emerged from last
years winter freeze and summer
drought.
AS good as this years crop is. how
ever, it still is about 10 per cent
below the prewar average of g.
050,00 metric tons. Which means
France still will need to import
wheat from abroad under the Mar
shall Plan. But it will be able
to reduce these imports and put
more Marshall Plan allocations into
machinery and othy nonperishable
items.
Bread to Be Increased.
Beginning September l, the French
government has announced, the
bread ration will be increased by
20 per cent to 300 grams daily (about
two thirds of pound per person.
At the same time the amount OF
pure wheat -four used will be sub
stantially increased, thus providing
white loaf. (Since June l the
bread ration has been about $50
grams daily. Last winter it had
been at the all time low of 200
gramS0
| This increase in what to the
French Is a major diet necessity Is
a government step toward reducing
the cost of living for workers. BY
getting more bread at the rationed
price, workers can reduce their ex-
pensive purchases on the black
market.
Riot Fears Recalled.
Just to be able to assure the
people a reasonable quantity and
quality of daily bread is a political
factor Of great Importance in a
country of bread eaters like France.
that the whole atmosphere is much
better than last year" They know
! the fears the government had, as
it entered last winter, of bread riots
breaking out and setting off the
sparks to whole chain of political
catastrophes.
So Jean Dupont and his wife-the
Smiths and Joneses of France-will
have their daily bread through the
coming winter. But Mrs. Dupont
will continue to have difficulty in
buying enough fats to cook the rest
of the family meal. Even though
1874 metric tons of oil seeds are
expected in this years harvest, COM
pared with the prewar average OF
/ Is. 1886 tons, it will not be nearly
|; enough. Before the war, when
France was rich enough to import
what she liked, she traditionally
imported large quantities of fats.
Potato Crop Is Good.
But the good news does not end
with the wheat harvest. There is
also a good potato crop this year.
And a good sugar beet crop which
means the sugar situation will be
easier than last year.
In some of the richest wheatlands
fantastic averages are being hits,
80 and IS bushels to the acre,
whereas Americans think 40 is good
at home What the national average
will be this year is not known yet.
To make a real comeback, how
ever. French farms must overcome
great handicap-shortage of ma
chinery. Rarely does one see COM
bine, or a tractor. France, as other
farm nations of Europe, needs more
machinery of all kinds. But under
the Marshall Plan, the United States
Congress has limited to $75,000,000
it's appropriation for farm machinery
! in the first year. And no country
will get as much as it needs.