| OCR Text |
Show ! Increased Food Demands Face Nation As Lease-Lend Bill Spurs Consumption By RAYMOND MITCHELL (Releatcd by Wtitern Ntwipapcr Union.) CHICAGO.-What will the Lease-Lend bill and Uncle Sam's own fast moving defense de-fense program mean to American 'agriculture? With $7,000,000,000 for all-out all-out aid to Britain now added to the pyramiding total of $33,000,000,000 in congressional congres-sional appropriations for defense de-fense and rearmament, this question is assuming growing grow-ing importance. Every farm family in America has a stake in the situation. Food is os much a weapon as planes, tarks and ships. The extent to which it is used is a matter of close concern to everyone on or near a farm. Three fairly definite answers have already emerged. These are, however, how-ever, dependent on a big "If If Britain is able to stand the battering batter-ing of all-out Nazi air raids, if she can stave off invasion and survive the deadly attacks on her shipping life-line until American aid can be come really effective: 1. America's farm export marketlost mar-ketlost since Scandinavia, the Low-Countries Low-Countries and France fell may be partially restored through the "Feed Britain" provisions of the Lease-Lend Lease-Lend bill. 2. The demand for farm products prod-ucts at home will be considerably Increased. 3. Price levels will move upward. Food Increasingly Important. Let's look abroad, first Under the terms of .the Lease-Lend bill, Britain docs not need to consider either ei-ther price or ability to pay in making mak-ing food purchases here. Up to now her expenditures have been for munitions mu-nitions only. Food has been imported import-ed from the Dominions. The job of feeding Britain is in the hands of the Surplus Marketing administration ad-ministration of the U. S. department of agriculture the same agency that superintends distribution of food for emergency relief here at home. To provide supplies ordered by Britain Brit-ain it merely has to increase the food orders being constantly Issued for domestic relief. British authorities have placed pork, lard, evaporated and dried milk, cheese, dried fruits, fruit The job of feeding Britain is in the hands of the Surplus Marketing administration, admin-istration, this organization has had considerable experience providing supplies fit domestic relief. This carload of orang.es is but a small part of the huge quantities of food constantly being moved under their supervision throughout the country. juices and vegetables on the top of their shopping list. The number of items will be expanded as opportunities opportuni-ties arise. Other Countries Ask Aid. Britain will not be the only beneficiary. bene-ficiary. Finland needs food badly and has already negotiated a $5,000,-000 $5,000,-000 credit with the Export-Import bank for fool purchases if shipping Is available. That is just a beginning begin-ning if further credit can be provided. provid-ed. Spain ai d unoccupied France are on the list, too. How much they get will depeni) on British blockade policy. Indications are that it will be tempered by American opinion. Now let's glance at the home market. mar-ket. Agriculture has already felt the defense program's stimulating impact. It will feel it even more in months to come. There is an increasing in-creasing demand for farm products. Americans are buying more and eating more because they have money to spend. Still more cereals, meats, fats, dairy products, fruits and woolens will be needed. Reports from the U. S. department depart-ment of commerce show that a rise In employment is invariably accompanied ac-companied by a rise in the consumption con-sumption of meats, dairy and poultry poul-try products along with fruits and vegetables. Defense Spending Rises. How the defense program is influencing in-fluencing industrial activity, employment employ-ment and consumer income is shown by the fact that defense expenditures ex-penditures rose from an average of $7,000,000 a day last September to more than $21,000,000 a day last month. These expenditures have not hit full stride yet, for many appropriations ap-propriations have been slow getting into circulation because contract had to be let. When it is considered that payrolls represent from 45 to 70 per cent of defense expenditures, the future level of industrial activity may be gauged. Thus the consumer buying power generated by the defense program is likely to be felt in the form of a bigger cash Income on most American Amer-ican farms this year. It is natural that the increased demand de-mand for food and raw materials should be reflected in a rising trend In wholesale prices. A recent bureau bu-reau of labor statistical report shows that wholesale commodity prices are swinging upward and are now at the highest point since the outbreak of the war. All of the foregoing factors will probably combine to boost the cash farm income of American farmers above the 1940 totals. Some of this income gain will, of course, be offset off-set by the higher costs for farm labor and for the products the farmer buys. Fertilizer is about the only commodity that has not registered regis-tered a sharp price rise since 1933. Overexpansion Dangerous. How long the defense program's stimulus to industry and agriculture will endure is problematical. This hinges to a good extent on how long the European war continues. But in months to come American farmers farm-ers will have an opportunity to strengthen their position and fortify themselves for the future. To do this some straight thinking will be required. Of essential Importance is that farmers avoid overexpansion and the pitfall of easy profits that may later turn into losses. The first World war taught us some bitter lessons les-sons about that. Surpluses that have burdened agriculture ever since can be traced to World war days. What can farmers do to make agriculture one of the most effective effec-tive weapons in Democracy's arsenal? For one thing, they can develop ways and means of making their production more efficient. An important im-portant step in this direction is to take stock of their soil fertility. For the country-wide co-operation with the AAA program, fewer acres are being tilled. This means that farmers farm-ers should employ soil management methods that will produce higher yields from fewer acres. Such a procedure will reduce production costs and Improve the quality of the crop. Such a program means exercising ex-ercising far-seeing care in concerning concern-ing the fertility of the soil by practices prac-tices which not only prevent waste of fertility, but actually help restore it. Soil Fertility Declines. America has used up the original fertility of its soil much more rapid ly than it has replaced it. Constant croppings, generation after generation, gener-ation, have removed vast quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. We have lagged far behind Europe In soil conservation. Nations abroad use from 2Vi to 20 times as much commercial plant food per acre as does the United States for fertilizing crop land and plowable pasture. Based on the average rate of depletion, de-pletion, American farms will lose 29,000,000 tons of nitrogen, phosphorus phosphor-us and potash in 1941 due to the removal of plant foods by growing crops, through livestock grazing and by leaching, according to an estimate esti-mate of the Middlewest Soil Improvement Im-provement committee. In the effort to defend and build up the productivity of their soil, farmers of the United States have one advantage they didn't possess 25 years ago during the first World war. Then we faced u fertilizer shortage because we were almost entirely dependent on Germany for potash and on Chile for natural nitrates. ni-trates. Today, thanks to the teamwork team-work of science and American industry, in-dustry, we are producing our own plant foods and we can maintain our independence in this respect for an indefinite period. It national emergencies grow more acute and American farmers hear the "Be prepared" signal to get their land ready for any eventuality, eventu-ality, they will know it can be done If they have enlisted under the banner ban-ner of soil Improvement |
