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Show Sharing of Wheat Supply Has Complicated Aspects Distribution of Surplus to Nations Needing Flour Is Vital Problem; Nazi Film Is 'Scare' Drama. By BAUKHAGE j National Farm and Home Hour Commentator. WNU Service, 1343 H Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. Today there are hungry millions In Belgium, France, Spain and elsewhere. else-where. For many people in the world there is starvation just around the corner. At the same time, in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Argentina, Ar-gentina, there is a wheat surplus for export or carry-over of 1,137,-000,000 1,137,-000,000 bushels an all-time high. But there is little chance for many of the hungry mouths to be fed by the surfeit. That is the topsy-turvy world's answer to man's ancient cry for bread! Haltingly, gropingly, with small hope for any answer to the surplus problem, except "plow it under the representatives of the four "wheat powers" have met again in Washington for the first wheat conference con-ference since 1938. They examined the question from the production point of view, for distribution of the earth's abundance to the world's starving is a problem too complicated compli-cated for any one group to solve. It is quite probable that the con- , ference will have dissolved without with-out taking any constructive action by the time this appears in print. Before long, however, it is expected that there will be an international agreement on world quotas. Unwillingly, Unwill-ingly, perhaps, Canada, Australia, and Argentina will be forced to join with the United States in a division of such world market as exists. I use the word "forced" purposely, for it is the big stick labeled "export subsidy" in Uncle Sam's closet which will bring the competing nations to yield to the American farmer his share of the world market. An export subsidy would permit the American farmer to sell his wheat regardless of the world price, for he is then paid the differential by the government. This means that as much American wheat can be sold as the government govern-ment is willing to subsidize and the market can absorb. U. S. Subsidized Export. Although it was not expected that an agreement on quotas would come out of this summer's conference, such an arrangement is assured before be-fore long for one was on the point of consummation when the war .ter-rupted. .ter-rupted. Why? Because, when the United States, in 1938, subsidized the export of a million bushels of wheat, just one million bushels had to remain unsold by the other wheat-growing countries. Unless, by mutual agreement, the world market is shared, Uncle Sam can again cut under his competitors and make up the difference to the American farmer out of government funds. But even if an agreement on world quotas is reached, that does not solve the problem of surplus wheat. To raise prices substantially, production pro-duction will have to be cut down. And as for the hungry consumer, then even the faint hope of obtaining obtain-ing his daily bread is removed. The farmer in the United States at the present time is able to make up in part for the loss of foreign markets and low prices by obtaining government loans on his wheat crop at higher than market prices. Wheat Prices Higher. According to the report of the department of agriculture for June, "Computed on the basis of export values, current prices (of wheat) are now about 40 cents higher than existing export price levels ... at the present time market prices in the United States are below the loan values established for the 1941 crop." But no government can go on forever for-ever taking the surplus wheat crop and piling it up there are not sufficient suf-ficient storage facilities. On the basis of the new crop prospects, stocks will be increased another 200 million bushels to a quantity almost equal to a whole year's domestic needs. And so, as you know, the department depart-ment of agriculture is encouraging the reduction of wheat acreages, encouraging en-couraging the raising of other products prod-ucts instead and establishing wheat quotas within its own boundaries. It is hard enough to carry out such a policy of controlled production produc-tion and distribution in our own country. How much more difficult it is to obtain such a working arrangement ar-rangement where clashing national interests interfere! In spite of ma- I Jority agreement on method among our own farmers, some threaten to burn their wheat rather than withhold with-hold it from the market. How much more or a problem it is to reach an international understanding restricting restrict-ing the market or cutting down acreage, acre-age, in countries like Argentina and ; Canada where wheat is the very backbone of the national economy! i I 'Victory in the West' Is Real 'Scare' Drama The other day I sat with a group of invited newsmen and a few army officers and watched a movie called "Victory in the West." It was a German propaganda film, showing how the German army smashed through the Low Countries and France. It was seized as it was being smuggled into South America to impress our southern neighbors with German might and well it might! The film was a wonderful job in propaganda, photography and "scare" drama. The military efficiency revealed in that picture is a partial answer to why the rivers of western Europe and later Russia, usually considered such powerful obstacles against an advancing army, were crossed so easily by the Germans. The movie showed the German advance in the Low Countries with dramatic shots of engineers swimming rivers, crossing in frail rubber boats, and building bridges under shell fire. The German propagandist explained: ex-plained: "The men were led, not by officers using telephones and written orders, or-ders, but by officers who lay beside their troops in the same dirt." Later, an American official, familiar, famil-iar, through long study with German military methods, gave his explanation explana-tion of German successes. He said: "The Germans were led by trained warriors, not one of whom ever had a clerk or a desk." Today in Washington there is a quiet but persistent movement led by General Marshall, chief of staff, to get rid of American officers who have difficulty functioning without desks, stenographers, clerks and caddies. For a long time the general gen-eral has been working with congress for legislation which would make it possible to remove officers, young or old, whose records show that they are incompetent. Such a measure is pending but there is strong prejudice against it in some circles. ... An Appraisal of Hitler's Business Methods "Truth is anything that helps the German cause." Thus spake Hitler. And Douglas Miller, 15 years in the American embassy in Berlin, (commercial attache for last five years during the Nazi regime) tells the following story in his new book which has made a considerable stir in Washington, "You Can't Do Business Busi-ness With Hitler" (Little, Brown & Co.): While the commercial treaty with Germany guaranteeing the United States equal treatment with other nations was still extant, Mr. Miller discovered that Denmark was being be-ing given preferential treatment in regard to importations of lard by Germany. He called on the foreign office to protest and was told that America was treated precisely as any other country. Mr. Miller produced pro-duced evidence that Denmark was given a 25 per cent larger quota than the United States. I quote the rest from Mr. Miller's book: The German official appeared to be only slightly embarrassed. He reached into his desk and pulled out the German text of the identical treaty and explained ex-plained that was the way things were done nowadays. I said, "Well, what can we do, now?" He said, "You can file a protest." pro-test." "Yes, but we have already filed a great number of protests, many of which have not even been answered and none of which appeared to do any good." I took my hat and started for the door. The official accompanied accom-panied me to the door and said: "I hope this little incident will not disturb our friendly personal relations, because I want you to remember that I have to earn my living somewhere." |