Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-04-12
World Food Reserve
Senators Back Plan to Buy Up SurpIuses,
Send Them to DoIIorIess Hungry Nations
By Ann CottreIL Free

farm exports. Exports have fallen
off because of the large worldwide
harvest last year, the dollar Short
age and our high prices. The result
ing SURPRISES in this country have
lowered prices 10 per cent since last
summer. The 80 per cent of parity
price supports now have been
brought into play, causing the Gov
eminent to embark on buying pro-,
gram. Discussing this, Benson says
"the kind of price supports we in
herited are putting farm products
into storage rather than into
StomachS."
Whatever the true picture may be,
hackers Of the food reserve want the
surplus to go into stomachs, too.
Otherwise, they know that huge un-
used reserves of rusting wheat would
be indefensible. They feel that the
investment of this food in the stom-
achs of Asia will pay dividends to
America.
Senator Humphrey, Democrat, Of
farm-rich Minnesota recalls that
Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore
advised the use Of key instead Of
a hammer in opening the mind of
Asia. Food" Senator Humphrey
says, "is the key that fits Asia"
But what seems most important
in winning Asia is the Senators
principle of ploughing the local cur
rency back into the land. This
raises not only local food production
and the standard of education and
living, it raises self-respect. The
use of such counterpart funds gave
local currency new dignity during
the Marshall plan operation in Eu-
rope It could mean in Asia that
no one need starve clutching a wad
of bills in his hand. as is not I'M
common during famine.
Population Problem
There are other arguments in
favor of the plan. There is the
reminder that, with the expected IS
million population increase here in
the next quarter century, agricul-
ture must be increased Is per cent.
Consequently, it would never do to
embark on a program of crop cut
backs. Instead, a use for temporary
SURPRISES must be found.
Some of the complexities that will
arise in shaping up such a plan will
be very tough. For example:
. Who will pay the shipping costs
of the wheat and other commodi-
ties? And what about storage
facilities overseas?
. Suppose the hungry countries
are not hungry enough to want our
corn and milk products and other
things heretofore not part of their
national diet?
Will FAC administrators be able
to keep recipient countries from
drawing on reserves before they
have exhausted their dollars for
food imports?
. Would it be unfair to recipient
countries if we bought their stra-
tegic goods in local currency instead
of dollars?
o Can those two outraged cries Of
another give-away" from some
people here and dumping and eco
nomic imperialism" from left
wingers abroad be met by the plan?
General Policy Only
The Senate sponsors anticipated
these and other problems. That is
why the proposed resolution is only
an expression of policy instructing
American representatives in the U.
N. and FAC to prepare the exact
plan. Then it would come to Con-
gress for approval. Senator Muir
ray hopes for congressional action
on the resolution this spring. He
expects to meet with President Els
enhower, Secretary Of State Dulles
and Secretary Benson soon.
The international food reserve
idea is not new. Perhaps its very
antiquity makes it revolutionary.
JoSeph's brothers came down to
Egypt from Canaan to draw against
the grain reserve stored there.
Since the war, FAC has pro-
posed several plans, but for various
reasons they have not rnaterialized.
GU. S. SurpluSes were moving abroad
in greater amounts them One
FAC man remarked the other
day "You know. it's funny. We
keep coming back to this kind Of
plan. It's like Christianity. You
can't kill 1t"