| Show Alarm Sounded On Shortage Of Farm Help WASHINGTON March 5 UP The The senate military committee committee committee com com- reported Friday that the prospect for a food crop this year as large as is almost hopeless hopeless hope hope- less of realization In a report urging passage of the Bankhead bill to defer farm workers from Crom military service the committee said that Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. R is increasingly alarmed about the inability to get enough farm labor to reach goals established for farm production this year gets more alarmed day by day a as a result of additional Information and developments Inthe in inthe inthe the matter of ot farm labor the report report report re re- re- re port add added d. d Before announcing its conclusions conclusions the committee had studied a special report by Colonel Lewis Sanders of the selective service bureau who warned that 1 The Tile time has come to convert convert convert con con- vert agriculture to the same war production basis as Industry to avert hunger at home and unnecesSary unnecessary unnecessary essary casualties on the battlefronts battlefronts battle- battle fronts 2 alk rabOU Ja i r shortages food tood riots riots- and starvation must be supplanted with action because too little has been done and it is getting late The committee said that the Tydings amendment to the selective selective selective tive service act granting exemptions to essential farm workers has been so circumscribed by byred byred byred red tape In its administration that it did not accomplish the desired result Draft boards throughout the country the report continued did not administer it with understanding understanding understanding under under- standing sympathy and uniformity uniformity uniform uniform- ity and many farmers who were entitled to deferment were given little or no consideration At the same time the committee commit commit- tee declared farm workers were Continued on P PaM Pue Four Column Four r Alarm Sounded On Shortage Of Farm arm Help e Continued from Pail Page One lured from the farms by the attractive attractive attractive at at- wages and short hours and better living conditions offered offered offered of of- by war plants It is evident that if something is not done soon to restrain the movement away from farms the result may be tragic the report concluded Six members of the committee opposed passage of the Bankhead bill ill on ground that it is a blanket deferment of agricultural workers without taking into account whether the person deferred is producing an amount of essential commodities which would make his Is services on the farm more valuable to the nation than his services in the armed forces This minority report declared that hat no evidence was presented that farm citizens as av a group desire desire desire de sire or approve any such class deferment deferment de- de ferment indeed a large proportion of them have declined defer defer- ment Bid to Duck Service The six senators said the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed bill would be an invitation to o any who desire to evade service in n the armed forces to seek agricultural agri- agri cultural employment At the same time it would prevent registrants registrants reg- reg from accepting employment employment employment employ employ- ment in another occupation or industry industry industry in in- or even on another farm their report said Sanders had raised his danger signals before the committee while was telling another committee committee committee com com- that there is little prospect prospect prospect pros pros- of American farmers raising as much fo food d this year as last admits that regardless of how much food Is raised this y year ar it will not be enough for all civilian military and lend-lease lend de de- de- de mands Sanders believes that l if the United States uses Its head aswell as aswell aswell well as its muscle e all food production production tion ion goals can be met met and and with fewer farm workers than in 1942 He has bias recommended Immediate immediate immediate immedi immedi- ate enactment of a specific legislative legislative legisla- legisla tive ive program for solution of this year years year's s farm problem as aa well as a along along long ong range program for next year and the postwar world Man Power Va Waite te It suggests elimination of the tremendous waste of man power on farms farming by counties Instead in instead instead In- In stead of by individual small f farms consolidation of small farms and und reallocation of crop crops government contracting of crops importation of foreign labor and government insurance of planting costs Industry has had to morgan morgan- reorganize ize itself completely completely and and to its detriment in many cases cases in in order to win the war Sanders said Agriculture is the only element of our economy that can benefit permanently by the things it needs to do to win the war w war r. r Sanders' Sanders thesis Agriculture should be converted to war production production production pro pro- the same way washing machine factories were converted to bo machine gun plants and automobile automobile auto auto- automobile mobile plants to tank factories His alt alternative Reduced food for the civilian population or or a reduced war effort and a reduced war effort is reflected in a longer war and increased total casualties |
