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

The United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization faced de.
cision on permanent home today
while many delegation members
went on a 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.
AS the voting got under way, the
score for announced preferences at
noon stood at for placing the site
IN this country and 5 for moving it
to Europe. There are 81 member
nations.
While the ballotings went on,
Britain began delaying action
seeking to postpone final action.
With the support of Poland and
Canada, British Delegates r. H.
Franklin argued that the United
States has not been "sufiiciently spe-
clf1c" on the financial aspects OF the
matter.
Lineup at Noon.
The lineup at noon stood:
For a site in the WASHINGTON
area-Cuba, Portugal, India, China,
Brazil, Philippines and the United
States.
For Copenhagen - the Neither
lands, Norway and South Africa.
For Rome or Copenhagen-Bel-
gium and France.
For deferring the issues-Poland,
Canada and Great Britain.
For Washington or New York
Ecuador.
United States representatives at
tending the annual FAC conference
in the Shoreham Hotel hoped that
today's votes might settle the two
year-old question.
They conceded, however, that the
delegates might postpone final de-
clsion, perhaps for another year.
To Lunch at University.
While the debate went on before
the commission, other members of
the 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 q tour
of four Frederick County farms on
which a soil erosion program has
been started. The farms are those
of Mrs. Nellie v. Thrasher, Roy
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 perma-
ment basis at the seat of U. N.
New York as a site for an agri-
cultural group does not sit well with
many delegates, however. They
would prefer q place closer to the
soil.
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
revision in the United States con-
tribution to FAC. Congress SET a
ceiling of s1,25O,0Oo as this coun-
trys annual share in the agency.
A United States official disclosed
that he plans to inform delegates
this country will increase its share
in FAO's budget, when the agency's
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 plenary session Of the
conference Tuesday. The following
day, President Truman will address
the group and be host, with Mrs.