Show tl ome awl t tin R in WASHINGTON w By Walter Walfer Shead Washington Bureau Butau 1616 Eyt Ey St St. N tf W. W A World Department Of Agriculture JP E EVERY VERY farmer farm and rancher every person connected with the food and an agricultural industry in these United States from producer to processor and citizens generally should watch with deep interest the th meeting g of f the food and agriculture organization of the United Nations in Ul Quebec starting October 16 This is the first of the permanent new United Nations agencies to Be launched after the end of hostilities which marks the importance at at- attached to its deliberations by our government and the governments of all the 44 United Nations As this is written the list of American dele dele- delegates delegates delegates gates to the conference has not been announced It is likely however that the delegates from the United States will be headed by Howard Talley of the department of agriculture agriculture agriculture ture who has acted as the United States representative on the Interim commission of the organization The food and agricultural or or- organization organization organization ratified by the 44 na na- nations nations na- na nations at San Francisco Is part and parcel and a most important important important tant function of the United Nations organization It is not nota a relief agency Its aim Is to improve im im- improve improve prove world agriculture and to increase food production to provide a higher standard of diet and raise the levels of nutrition nutrition tion and the standards of living throughout the world all of which is intended to contribute to an expanding world economy The organization will likely set up machinery which will function for world agriculture and production much like our own department of agriculture functions in the United States in an advisory capacity passing along scientific development the dissemination of agricultural agricultural agricultural tural knowledge technical in information in- in information information formation and the results of scientific scientific scientific agricultural research to aid in setting up agencies in all the 44 countries for combating soil ero ero- erosion erosion erosion sion to improve soil and crops to develop better b livestock to take into consideration reforestation rural electrification farm to market roads exploration of new sources of food to provide better tools for primitive farmers to increase production attention to surplus crops and a better dis dis- distribution distribution dis- dis distribution of these crops and many other subjects necessarily attendant to the huge and complicated task of providing more and better food for fora a world and its population ravished by years of total war Not Enough Land There are now about human buman beings populating this old world on which we live and the ex ex- experts experts ex- ex experts predict that at present rate of increase there will be a billion more by the end of the century These experts further point out that there are at present only about 4 acres of arable land in use which is less than 2 acres per capita Even Evenin in our own coun coun- country country country try there is only a fraction more than seven acres per capita in farm farmlands farmlands lands including woodlands and pas- pas pasture lure ture lands If we would take into account only the crop lands har har- harvested harvested harvested vested approximately acres our per capita acreage would just about equal the world aver aver- age So without an expanding acreage arable of-arable of lands without basic re re- resources resources re- re resources sources in hi India in China in Rus Rus- Russia Russia Russia sia and many other countries such as we have in this country the ex experts ex- ex experts x- x say that the world will con con- continue continue continue to produce insufficient food to feed its billions of humans What the representatives of these 44 nations what our own delegation does at Quebec to commit this country to a pro pro- program program program gram of world agricultural re re- rehabilitation rehabilitation re- re rehabilitation habilitation will determine In hi large measure whether we as a people were honest when we sub sub- subscribed subscribed scribed to the Atlantic charter and the charter of the United Nations at San Sa Francisco For with this charter in exist exist- existence existence existence ence and binding upon us with our nation emerging from the war as the most fortunate the most pow pow- powerful powerful powerful erful with a new conception and in a new position as the lead lead- leader er of the world the time has passed when we can watch the peo pea people people pie of India China or any other nation starving and salve our con con- conscience c conscience n- n science with a check to some relief society Two thirds of the the people of the world are farmers These hundreds h raise food of millions are striving to on worn out land And from the selfish few comes the comment Why should we help the rest of the world raise food fo d when there continues to be surplus in own crops And d the answer r our with dis dis- distribution is that proper of f course that with the t e rest r st of f the v n world eating a and living g on a o par with our own diet there would be beno surplus with a D con continuing inui ng g ex ex- expanding ex- ex expanding no al al- always alDYS al- al always anding world economy onomy c calling ca mg increasing production ways DYS for |