Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-11-05

In a spreading world food crisi
described by Director General Nor.
ris E. Dodd as the most serious
since the severe crisis early ir
World War II, the 63-nation U. N
Food and Agricultural Organiza-
ton GAO assembled here last
Friday to attempt to resolve 9
bitter five-year struggle over what
FAO's functions should be.
First of the U. N. specialized
agencies to be established, FAC i.
regarded by the U. N. and by non-
member nations in other special
lied agencies as the best equipped
to do point-four work. That was
shown by the U. N. and those non
member nations when they voted
FAC the largest segment-29 pei
cent-of the $40 million contrib
uted and pledged to the u. N. tc
develop and execute point-four
programs.
But sharply divided counsels
among its members are not FAO's
only problem. Some of it's staff
think it is in danger of emascu-
lation in the immediate period
ahead. Certain delegates to the
18-nation FAC Council meeting
here which has just ended share
that view. Other delegates and
other staff members are equally
convinced the threat is illusory
They believe the food demands
of world rearming in fear of
war will put upon FAC greater re-
sponsibilities than any that have
yet been intrusted to it.
Problems of Moving
The threat to FAC appears to
stem from the decision taken at
the FAC Conference here last
November to transfer FAC head
quarters from Washington to
Rome. But that decision in real
ity was only manifestation of
the fundamental clash on what
purposes FAC should serve. The
Rome decision was reached by a
vote of 80 to 20 in the final pie
nary session. It came after many
days and nights of intense in
fighting between two principal
blocs in FAC. One was the Eu-
ropean bloc led by Great Britain.
The other was a bloc that included
the Latin American nations, the
Scandinavian countries, Canada,
Australia, Fire, South Africa, New
Zealand and certain Far East and
Near East nations. The United
States pursued a neutral course
in the fight.
AS the delegations gathered for
the special conference they learned
that 81 per cent of the approx
mately 900 members of the FAC
headquarters staff now employed
in Washington have declined to
60 to Rome. That breaks down
into 80 per cent of the employees
below class 10 (S5,21O and 40
per cent of those above. The 80
per cent includes clerical help
who were told when hired that
they would not be taken along
If the headquarters was moved.
Only a small fraction of the
United States nationals on the
above-class-10 level have agreed
to go to Rome. These are experts
and technicians typif1ed by How
ard Tolley. FAO's chief economist.
who twas formerly chief of the
United States Bureau of Agricul-
tural Economics.
The delegation further learned
that even with an 100000 loan
guaranteed by the U. N. and the
Italian government to help de-
fray costs of the transfer, FAC
operations will have to be dras-
tically curtailed during the ensu-
ing year. Director General Dodd
makes no effort to conceal the
difficulties Immediately ahead for
FAC. The annual budget of FAC
is just under IS million. Of which
the United Statets contributes 81
per cent. A number Of FAC mem
Der nations have not paid their
quotas, which adds to Mr.. Dodd's
troubles.
Opposition to Orr
But the finance and personnel
problems are merely the effects