Evening star., 1948-11-14
World Food Group
Opens u. n. Par|ey
Here Tomorrow
By MoIcoIm Lomborne, Jr.

Delegates from 81 nations were
gathering here today for the open
ing tomorrow of the fourth confer
ence of the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization. Only
two important food-producing coun-
tries, Russia and Argentina, will not
be represented.
It will be the largest gathering of
food and farm experts in this coun-
try since the historic Hot Springs
food conference of 1943, which led
two years later to the formation OF
FAC.
Sessions, in the Shoreham Hotel,
will continue through the month.
Some 500 persons, including mem
bers of secretariats and observers,
will be directly involved in the pro-
ceedings.
Brannan Heads U. S. Group.
Secretary of Agriculture Brannan
was appointed by President Truman
Yesterday as United States member
and chairman of the United States
delegation to the conference.
The President also named as
alternate United States members:
Unoersecretary of Agriculture
Albert,J. Loveland; Fred J. yRossiter.
associate director of the Agriculture
Departments Office of Foreign
Agricultural Relations, and Edward
C. Gale, associate chief of the
State Departments International
Resources Division.
Five congressional advisers to the
delegation were appointed by the
President. They are Senator Aiken.
Republican, of Vermont: Senator
Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma; ;
Representatives Land, Democrat, OF
Virginia; Cooley. Democrat, OF
North Carolina, and Hope, Repub-
ncan, Of Kansas.
Twenty = six representatives Of
various government agencies and
private foreign and. food organiza-
tions also were named as advisers.
Questions Coming Up.
FAC officials listed these ques-
tions as high on the agenda:
1.-Shall steps be taken to re-
vive the international wheat agree
nent, which the 80th Congress
failed to ratify IN the rush to ad-
journ last summer and which has
the backing in this country Of i'm
portant farm organizations.
2. The drafting of an authorita-
tive statement on the present world
food situation, in move to recon-
cile conflicting views on the sub
ject and to pave the way for
recommendations on stockpiling OF
foodstuffS in the event of future
food crises.
3. Whether certain basic commod-
tiles such as wheat, fats and oils,
and rice shall continue under world
wide ALLEGATION, through the FAC
Councils International Emergency
Food Committee.
4. What to do about FAO's limited
budget of $5,0O0,O0O-a situation
that already has forced the agency
to set aside several hundred re-
quests for special nutrition and
agricultural improvements in mem
ber nations.
5. Selection of a permanent home
for FAC, with the sites now mar
rowed down to Washington, Copen-
hagen and Rome.
Dodd to Open Session.
Norris E. Dodd, director general
of FAC and former Under Secretary
of Agriculture, will convene the
conference in plenary session to-
morrow at II am.
BY Wednesday, the conference Is
expected to break up into three
commissions, which will continue
their work through the month.
Commission I will conduct a full
scale review and analysis OF the
world situation on production, mar
keting and consumption of food and
other agricultural products, includ-
ing fish and timber. A FAC an
nouncement said this commission
will develop facts and supply guild
ance 80 that planning for increased
production can become truly inter-
national"
Commission II will review FAO's
technical activities during the last
II months and its program for next
year. Included in this groups work
is the question of 1EFC's future.
Commission III goes into consti-
tutional, administrative and flnan-
cial questions, including selection OF
FAC headquarters.
Russia and Argentina.
The full conference meets again
near the end of the month to re-
ceive commission reports and to
makes recommendation for action
by member governments.
Viscount Stanley M. Bruce, chair
man of the 18-nation FAC council,
which serves as executive committee
between annual conferences, was
asked Friday whether either Rus
sia or Argentina would be invited
TO join. He said he did not antici-
pate any such move by the confer
ence. Mr. Dodd has stated in the
past that both countries would be
welcomed any time they sought to
join.
FAC officials agree at this point
that 1948 crops have been excellent
in the United States and Europe,
easing the world situation some
what. But they are concerned
over the problem posed by possible
crop failure on the North American
continent and in other areas.
Two Big Problems.
Sir Bruce points out that before
World War II the United States
exported only Is per cent of its
wheat while today other countries
depend on nearly so per cent OF
United States wheat With world
food stocks below safe levels, q
drought in this country would raise
havoc with the world food balance
he added.
The official also poses another
problem in these words:
Whatever we achieve in agricul.
tural production must be parallelee
by industrial production. But al
+his rneanc moro %dnternationo