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Show NewsPJy BehindM Dy Paul Mellon Released by Western Newspaper Union. OVERHAULING OF UNRRA BY HOOVER EXPECTED WASHINGTON, D. C. The official offi-cial whisper sent to the senate behind be-hind the Hoover appointment ta world famine relief played down the job as a mere survey. Inquiring newsmen were told the Republican ex-President and skilled world food-handler food-handler was only to find out how much food was needed and how much was available the job of a statistician or economist. f . f i I 4f .-f j I I ) far J HERBERT HOOVER Immediately, however, the reigning reign-ing world food reliefer, Herbert Lehman Leh-man of UNRRA, was announced to be ill whether from the news of the Hoover appointment or not. He offered his resignation to the world council of UNRRA opening Friday at Atlantic City. These dovetailing circumstances circum-stances lent credence to a natural nat-ural Interpretation that a complete com-plete overhaul of our relief efforts ef-forts is at hand. Mr. Truman had earlier blackened the wheat content of bread, and his action took such swift effect that my baker this week began complaining com-plaining that his flour had become be-come grossly Inferior, and that Mr. Truman did not know the severe effects of such an order. The quality of the loaf he gave me of this bssif poor man's food certainly furnished evidence evi-dence of a colossal mistake or many of them somewhere. PUBLIC ASKED TO RATION FOOD ON VOLUNTARY BASIS I thought Messrs. Truman and Hoover, in later announcements, displayed a somewhat different approach ap-proach to the matter. Mr. Truman asked the people to cut the use oi wheat by 40 per cent and fats by 20 per cent, and Mr. Hoover spoke of setting up "a circuit of helpfulness helpful-ness around the world." Both generally gen-erally indicated by their words thai they would appeal for voluntary cooperation co-operation by the people in a truly democratic way. This was In cleai contrast to totalitarian methods oi requiring conformance by economic tricks and the force-methods sc familiar during the war, both oi which we borrowed to a considerable consider-able degree from the Nazi and Fascist Fas-cist ways. Officially it was said, for instance, we need not have rationing. ration-ing. Personally I will say I will be able to avoid bread entirely, if the flour is to be corrupted to the extent of the last loaf I got. But as I say, bread is the poor man's basic food, the staff oi life, and what I would like to see is the maintenance of its full quality for our people, and the feeding of famine victims to whatever extent is necessary. I do not believe our food should have been or should be used for! political purposes, for buying sup-i port abroad, unless we have sur-j pluses. Our contribution should be' limited to what is required to relieve re-lieve actual human suffering. Now! as to statistics on this subject, ij have found from experience that a politically minded person can gel nearly any kind he wants, and a careful, sincere man must guard himself to the utmost against being misled into false assumptions by social reforming statisticians. A reasonable and a democratic demo-cratic solution, with public support, sup-port, seems possible to achieve, and a man of Mr. Hoover's experience should have a chance to work it out with the ! new Truman famine emergency committee. Certainly nearly anything could b expected to be an improvement or the Lehman administration of UNRRA. Those senators and repre-' sentative who have gone abroad the past year or more have re-; turned with astonishing tales of its inefficiency. Mr. Truman tried tc help some by giving the army much of the job, and congress was read to cut off UXRRA appropriations.. However, the UNRRA planners marshalled mar-shalled their forces ar.d recently goi their appropriations in substance, i after a fight. i |