Show baM Specter of Starvation Stalks Liberated Europe Hunger Already Rampant in Many Nations Relief Dependent on Sacrifices of v L' L i I United States and Canada I I r By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator Service Union Trust Building I Washington D. D C. C The size and shape of the postwar food emergency which the world has been generally anticipating and fearing is now beginning to take shape As this is written in mid- mid June a swelling cry is coming across the Atlantic Were hungry send us food In one days day's issue of the New York Times there were special specia dispatches stating 1 That the liberated European nations were meeting in London to hear the facts of the world food situation situation situation situ situ- from British Food Minister Llewellin He had spent three months in Canada and the United States surveying the world picture F ff t was n nr-io nr said e 4 fn that Vi n would inform V u uthe the delegates of the liberated countries countries countries coun coun- tries that there is in prospect a world shortage of tons of meat tons of fats and oils and tons of sugar A shortage shortage shortage short short- age that is in terms of what is required required required re re- re- re to maintain a quite frugal though fairly health-giving health diet 2 2 That European nations were being being being be be- ing urged to produce to the maximum maximum maximum maxi maxi- mum in order to offset the lack of imports for their winters winter's food sup sup- ply 3 That the new food minister of France Christian was coming to the United States to urge the American food industry to sell food to France 4 That the Bavarian food ration was down to the low minimum of 1150 calories a day the average Am American rican diet contains calories calories calories calo calo- ries Need Is 18 Acute fn rn Many Areas The need for food is acute inmany in inmany inmany many areas throughout the continent continent continent conti conti- nent of Europe The people living inGerman in inGerman inGerman German occupied Holland have been suffering from outright t starvation starvation tion Lion for months The physical condition condition condition con con- of many was so serious immediately immediately immediately im im- mediately following liberation that they were no longer able to digest ordinary foods The whites of eggs In powdered form were shipped from the United States to provide provide provide pro pro- vide special treatment for these starvation victims Britain also shipped to Holland a special food consisting of solutions of predigested proteins glucose and vitamins In Yugoslavia when supplies supplies supplies sup sup- plies arrived and were being unloaded unloaded unloaded un un- un- un loaded from the first shipment food was so scarce that the women brought brooms and brushes to sweep weep up p th the gr grain in th that t spilled fro from the me sacks oi or wheat When cans 01 ot of beans were distributed to the people people peo pea pie the Yugoslav weighing officials officials officials were so careful in measuring out portions that it was common to see a single bean removed from the I scales in order to give each person no more than his fair share In May the office of foreign agricultural agricultural agricultural agri agri- cultural relations of the United States department of agriculture reported reported reported re re- re- re ported that this years year's output of food in Europe will be the smallest since the beginning of the war It may be as much as 10 per cent under under under un un- un- un der the 1944 production As the war has come along machinery is worn out Factories have been kept out of most of Europe by the lack of transportation and the shortage of materials Manpower has become scarcer In the final agonies of the conflict farm farm animals were slaw ht er d n un g U e eor or stolen by the retreating Nazis Hence the production of the continent continent continent conti conti- nent will r reach ach the low point of this winter in the current crop year Sharpening the difficulties is the breakdown of internal transportation transportation transportation tation to move what food is produced produced pro pro- produced from the countryside into the cities and towns In the final phases of the war the Nazis systematically destroyed railroads and rolling stock behind them as they retreated retreated retreated re re- re- re treated the Allied air forces systematically systematically systematically blew bridges and burst locomotives The result is that in Greece for example there were for months no railway lines op op- Even now when some of I the tracks and bridges are repaired there are less than 20 locomotives and less then good cars in the country More are being rushed there but the railway transport transport- wilbe will wil willbe willbe be far bel below w even the wartime nor nor- mal The highway service has disintegrated disintegrated dis dis- dis- dis integrated ted and the bridges are blown Trucks are so scarce that they are number one priority in inthe inthe inthe the relief schedules of and of the countries which pay for their own imports An worker in Yugoslavia reported that he saw girls 12 and 15 years old carrying hundred pound sacks of grain on their backs for five kilometres In Greece women and children hitched themselves to carts of supplies and hauled them over mountain roads that were so full of bomb craters that trucks could not travel them Million People Hungry on Continent In the face of this situation it is evident that as Colonel Llewellin told the British House of Commons on June 13 There are a hundred million hungry people in Europe today oday Hope for relieving hunger is in imports this summer and next winter Will the imports be forthcoming forthcoming forthcoming forth forth- coming from the world outside The best answer that can be given liven at present seems to be not in n the volume desired To provide enough food to bring the populations of liberated Europe and the Far East up to the prewar level or even to a rather low minimum level for or full health and strength would bring ring the civilian food supplies inthe in inthe inthe the major nations down considerably considerably considerably consider consider- ably from their present level The British ration has already been reduced reduced reduced re re- re- re in a number of items and andt it t was a tight ration before the re re- re- re Australia has cut down buter butter butter but- but ter er and meat rations still further further further fur fur- ther within the last 60 days A good part of the answer to the plea of hungry Europe and the Far East Sast depends on how much sacrifice sacrifice sacrifice sac sac- the civilians in the United States and Canada are willing willingto to o undergo President Truman in I issuing the report of Judge Samuel on relief needs in western western western west west- ern Europe pointed out that the American people need to understand understand understand under under- stand the dire plight of the people in in these Allied countries in order order order or or- der to be prepared to accept continued continued con- con control on our consumption here iere The coming months will give the Jie answer to the extent and severity severi severi- ty of controls that are imposed Not Food Not MoneY MoneY- Money Money- Remains Scarce J 1 Relief Relle f for lib liberated countries is not a matter of financing The countries countries countries coun coun- i tries of western Europe have their own financial resources and are seeking in vain to buy particularly particularly l ly suc such items as canned meats dairy products fats and oils and su su- su- su gar The liberated countries of eastern eastern eastern east east- ern Europe which do not have the foreign exchange resources to pay cash for their supplies are receiving receiving receiving ing them from the United Nations through A. A has las financial resources contributed by t y the nations The I fc s trouble is that supplies are not forthcoming in the scarce food lines at a desirable rate Incidentally the director general of in a somewhat justified didactic vein has lately pounded home in his public utterances the fact that if fails to provide supplies it is not because of shortcomings but because because because be be- cause the member nations do not come through with the supplies Director General Lehman Lehman Leh Leh- man says is not a with r a n d f 1 u. u J U A powers t- t o o Ui Vl H. H its iia own Far from it It is the servant of the governments which created it There is one bright spot amid the encircling gloom of the food situ situ- This is the fact that the world has plentiful supplies of wheat This member of the bread grains has been produced in bumper quantities for several years in succession by the farmers in the U. U S. S and Cana Cana- da The crops have been average in other exporting countries The result result re re- sult is that wheat is not even under allocation and the full amount needed for a normal diet can be supplied to to the people of liberated Eur Europe pe But man doesn't live by bread alone For health and vigor I you and I and everyone need some fats and proteins in our diets Will we be willing to cut down on on our our our- by the standards of Europe rather Europe rather our our-I I lavish consumption of these things so that our liberated Allies can come through the next winter whiter with a minimum minimum mini mini- mum loss of health and strength mini mini-I |