Evening star., 1948-11-20
FAC Delegates
TourFarmUnit
|AtMary|andU.
Vote Scheduled Todo,
On Permanent Site.
For Headquarters
By Malcolm Lomborne, Jr.


The United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization faced a de-
clslon On permanent home today
while many delegation members
went on personal inspection of the
University of Maryland's College of
Agriculture
The Maryland campus is one OF
the sites in the Washington area
pushed by the United States as a
site for the FAC headquarters.
United States representatives at
tending the annual FAC conference
in the Shoreham Hotel hoped that
a vote due today by a commission
arguing the problem might settle
the tWo-year-old question.
They conceded, however, that dele
gates from 81 member nations might
postpone final decision, perhaps for
another year.
To Lunch at University.
While the debate went on before
the commission, other members of
the national delegations went on the
all-day Maryland tour. They were
to be luncheon guests in the uni
versity cafeteria of the MARYLAND
Extension Service, the MARYLAND
Farm Bureau and the MARYLAND
Grange.
The delegates were to be briefed
on the colleges advances in soil
erosion control and taken on tour
of four Frederick County farms on
which a soil erosion program has
been started. The farms are those
of Mrs. Nellie v. Thrasher, Rov
Summers, Charles H. Remsberg and
Edward F. Hotter.
Possibility of delaying decision on
the FAC permanent headquarters
site was heightened yesterday, when
Commission Chairman Arthur Wau-
tiers Of Belgium read a letter from
U. N. Secretary General Trygve Lie
offering temporary Offices in New
York by the fall of 1850.
Some Objections.
Mr.. Lie wrote that the situation
there is considerably clearer" and
that it might be possible soon to
finance space for FAC on a perma-
ment basis at the seat of U. N.
New York as a site for an agri-
cultural group does not sit we'll with
many delegates. however. They
would prefer place closer to the
soil.
In day-long debate yesterday be-
fore Commission III, countries heard
from divided evenly between favor
ing the United States on the one
hand and either picking a site in
Europe or delaying the issue.
Copenhagen q Possibility.
Lining up with the United States
were India, Portugal, China, Brazil
and the Philippines. The proposed
Copenhagen site was supported by
South Africa and Norway. The
Netherlands and French representa-
tives favored some European loca-
ton. while Canada and Poland
suggested delay
During the discussion. P. r. Viii
joen of South Africa proposed to
the United States, representative,
William A. Minor, that he appeal
to President Truman to bring about
a revision in the United States con-
tribution to FAC. Congress set a
ceiling of sl,25O,000 as this coun-
try's annual share in the agency.
A United States official disclosed
that he plans to inform delegates
this country will increase its share
in FAOs budget, when the agencys
operations and budget have ex-
panded.
Hear Truman Next Week.
Meanwhile. two other commits
sions, one studying technical ques-
tions of administration and the other
dealing with the overriding problem
of how to increase food production
in deficit countries, continued their
deliberations.
First results Of their efforts were
expected at a plenary session of the
conference Tuesday The following
day, President Truman will address
the group and be host. with Mrs.
Truman at a receDtion