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

u 4A1dV oClCSU1Oll wac
l by lineup of the Latin American
nations, the British common
wealth nations and the Scandi-
navian countries under the leader
ship of Canada and France
! against Britain and United States
opposition. Sir Johns first decla-
, ration of what he hoped to per-
suade the member nations Of FAC
to do made it perfectly clear why
the United States delegation and
the British delegation fought his
appointment.
That declaration spelled out Sir
Johns concept of a world food
. board. The board, under his
plan, would be set up with the
following main detectives:
:. l. Distribution of surplus food
and fiber stocks to areas needing
them, on a two-price system
where necessary. with the board
) entering the market and admins
tering surplus stocks itself.
2. Sterilization of world prices
in agricultural commodities with
systematic efforts to devise ways
to eliminate speculation in those
commodities.
4 8. Worldwide naturalization of
agricultural production through
encouragement of production of
given commodities only in those
areas where they can be efficiently
produced and encouragement OF
their production in areas where
efficiency cannot be achieved.
From the moment of that
declaration by Sir John to the
present time the struggle within
FAC, often bitter. has revolved
around his concept or variations
or parts of it. Great Britain, a
Labor government notwithstand-
ing, true to her centuries-long
tradition as the worlds greatest
trading nation (and once the
worlds greatest banking nation),
has doggedly and skillfully kept
FAC from putting into practice
Sir Johns concept or any part
of it. The one-vote majority for
Rome was the last sign of her
success.
Britain's Objective
The British delegations have di-
rected their efforts year after year
to keep FAO's functions restricted
primarily to research and in
formation or at most the render
ing of technical assistance to
nations wanting it. Year after
year they've been supported by
the United States State Depart
ment indoctrinated by the free
trade philosophy, and pinning it's
hopes and efforts on the proposed
International Trade Organization
ITO) finally worked out at
Havana in 1948. The ITO formula
still has not received favorable
congressional action.
At the Copenhagen Conference
of FAC in 1946 the British dele
cation had to exert even more
skill and energy than usual to
suppress Sir Johns basic issues.
The late Fiorella La Guardia ap-
peared at the Copenhagen ses-
sions as director of UNRRA with
crusading fire in his eye. He
brought the delegates to their
feet cheering and whistling at
plenary session with a speech
supporting Sir Johns position.
He excoriated gambling in food
stuffs. Interrupting his speech
periodically with the buying and
selling calls of a trader in a COM
modify pit he carried the verisi-
Multitude Of his mimicry all the
way by pretending to read a
ticker tape as he passed 1t
avariciously through his fingers.
Dodd's Proposal
That vivid episode will not be
forgotten by number of the dele
gates gathering in this years
special conference to decide what
degree Of vitality FAC shall be
given and how it shall be attained
in spite Of the move to Rome.
Even more clearly in their minds
will be the angry wrangle preced-
ing last years vote for Rome.
They will still have fresh in their
minds the official proposal of Di-
rector General Dodd, Oregon
wheat farmer, who succeeded Sir
John in 1948 after serving, while
Undersecretary of Agriculture, as
head of the United States delega-
ton at Copenhagen. That pro-
posal called for establishment by
FAC of an international commod-
ity clearing house in accord with
the recommendations made by an
international committee Of noted
economists after long study of the
problem.
This proposal was a greatly
limited and modified version of
Sir Johns original concept. But
il was not limited or modified
enough to get British or State
Department sanction. Secretary
of Agriculture Charles Brannan.
as titular head of the United
States delegation, found himself
in a most uncomfortable position.
Every major farm organization in
the country pressed him to sup
port the clearing house proposal.
as did the International Fedora
ton of Agricultural Producers,
the International Landowners
Federation and the international
Cooperative Alliance. Not only
: that, but he received similar
formal urging from the leaders of
every major United States labor
: organization, the leaders of many
, o~J yo,,y,,