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Show MJ DBEW PEARSON Washington, D. C. VVICKARD FEARS FOOD CRISIS Secretary of Agriculture Wickard has made it very clear in private conferences that he takes vigorous exception to Donald Nelson's recent statement: "We are going to have enough to eat throughout this war and we probably will not have to put any very drastic limitations on our range of choice in that regard." On the contrary, Wickard says that we are going to be more and more up against it for food unless we give the farmer more machinery and more labor. Briefly here are the reasons why: 1. An army uses twice as much food as civilians, (a) because a lot is lost at sea, (b) a lot is lost in the field of battle, and (c) soldiers eat more than civilians. 2. We have to feed our allies more and more. 3. We will also have to feed the occupied regions when they are set free. But meanwhile, farmers actually are killing good dairy .cows for beef because they cannot get labor or machinery to keep up their dairy herds. In the Chicago milk shed alone, 1,780 dairy farmers have sold their herds and gone out of business. busi-ness. In one specific case, a dairy farmer farm-er lost the use of his litter-carrier when the tub went bad. The carrier, car-rier, complete with trolley and hoist, had cost him $250. A new tub to replace the rusted one would cost only $10. But he coulon't buy a new tub. And he couldn't find additional addi-tional hands to do the work of the machine. So he sold his cattleand closed the dairy. Foreseeing this machinery shortage, short-age, Secretary Wickard asked WPB to permit manufacture of agricultural agricul-tural machinery up to 38 per cent of normal. The request was made July 22. He did not get a reply until this week. Principal log-jammer is WPB's civilian supply committee, headed by Joseph L. Wiener, which has to act on a great variety of civilian problems and does not pretend to be expert in agriculture. Its, lack of expertness was indicated indi-cated by two questions asked by members of this committee, in discussing dis-cussing farm problems: "If there is a labor shortage on the farms, why can't farmers work overtime, just as factory workers do?" "What is the difference between a wheel type tractor and a crawler type?" So the United States may fail as the larder of democracy if a farmer can't have a new plow point or some other item and the necessary farm labor. NO NIX ON NAVY'S PIX On the important question of photographs, pho-tographs, the navy has completely reversed itself, with the result that the stay-at-home public is seeing daily action shots of the war. Until recently, there was a ban on taking pictures of "confidential" scenes. But on September 1, the navy issued General Order 179, which stated that "commanding officers of-ficers are directed to obtain photographs photo-graphs at times of emergency, disaster, dis-aster, and combat action." Picture taking in the navy used to be confined to "nuts and bolts photography" routine shots of materials ma-terials to observe their action under stress. But now the navy is taking pictures of some of the most dramatic dra-matic and colorful incidents in the history of warfare, with some 1,400 photographers. If you saw the picture of the Jap carrier sinking in the Coral sea, or the Jap heavy cruiser sinking at Midway, or the U. S. sailors leaping overboard from the carrier Lexington, Lexing-ton, you have seen the work of navy cameramen. Some were appointed to do nothing noth-ing else but take pictures of the battle, but some did their camera shooting only after laying aside a machine gun. The famous picture of the sinking Jap carrier in the Coral sea was taken by a machine gunner from the rear nest of a navy plane. Primary purpose of the picture taking is not to inform the public, but to inform the navy. The pictures pic-tures are -used to check on operations, opera-tions, to instruct learners, and, most important, to study the enemy's position. po-sition. Today, tomorrow and every day, navy planes are flying over New Guinea and the Solomons, taking tak-ing pictures of whatever lies below. The developed shots may disclose that the Japs have moved into a new area, and that the little black spot, seen under a microscope, is an oil tank just installed. CAPITAL CHAFF One U. S. general, returning from London, reported that the waiting policy cf the British in Africa reminded re-minded him of the Union generals in the War Between the States who dallied in Washington, wondering what Lee would do next. Among the closest friends in the senate are Barkley of Kentucky, Democratic floor leader, and Mc-Nary Mc-Nary of Oregon. Republican floor leader. They disagree on nearly everything except this: That they are both swell guys. |