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Show Farm Supplies Will Continue to Be Short, But Improvement Is Expected in Some Lines Farmers are in for another toughs year on the mechanical side of their production job, according to Frederic Fred-eric B. Northrup, director of the office of-fice of materials and facilities of the War Food administration. Instead of hoped for improvement in the materials and equipment situation, situ-ation, and fewer transportation problems, prob-lems, farmers in 1945 may expect to see a continuation of obstacles against which they have battled throughout the war years. That brings into sharp relief the necessity for using every bit of machinery and other equipment to the best possible advantage, keeping tools and building in good repair, sharing available equipment where it is practical, and keeping close check on unnecessary waste of materials. ma-terials. Transportation problems, Northrup said, will be affected by the fact that the approved truck production program will provide less than a fourth of the new trucks estimated to be essential. Production of light trucks, of particular interest to farmers, is authorized at about 12 per cent of estimated requirements. The number of surplus army trucks that will be available is unpredictable. unpredict-able. Heavy truck tires continue in short supply. Although production of some of the most important labor-saving machines ma-chines has been greatly increased during the war, government surveys sur-veys show that the outlook for 1945 could still be improved upon. Farm machinery in general (with the exception ex-ception of tractors) at last report was running 20 to 25 per cent behind schedule. Spring tools and some other oth-er items requiring heavy use of castings cast-ings were behind schedule, although tractor production was approximately approximate-ly on the line. Parts Are Available. Plenty of parts are expected to be available to keep current equipment up to date, and farmers are being urged to check over and repair every ev-ery old machine that can be kept in operation. Emphasis in the farm machinery program will continue to be on labor-saving labor-saving machines for harvesting and haying, Northrup pointed out, but planting, fertilizing and tillage equipment equip-ment will receive a bigger share of authorized material than in past programs. pro-grams. Reuse of bags and wooden containers con-tainers is being urged again in 1945, as the fabric and wood shortage is expected to make for further scarcity scar-city of these items. Lumber continues in critical shortage, short-age, but the farmers' situation on repairs calling for this material is somewhat improved. They can now go to their county AAA committees and get certificates for lumber to be used in urgently needed repair and maintenance of farm dwellings, just as they have been getting certificates certifi-cates for lumber to be used on other farm buildings. About as much metal met-al roofing and siding as last year appears certain. No shortage is anticipated for nails, staples, bale ties and pipe, and manufacturers of fence wire and netting net-ting are authorized to produce at a greater rate than their prewar level. The number of hand tools in prospect pros-pect is about the same as in 1944, with some tools and other miscellaneous miscel-laneous supplies continuing to move to farms from stocks of surplus war property. Supplies of binder twine are expected ex-pected to be adequate, with an improvement im-provement in quality during 1945. The rope situation is not yet clarified, clari-fied, although the quality will continue con-tinue to be below prewar days. There will probably be enough milk cans to meet farmers' requirements, as well as adequate supplies of most types of farm chain for essential needs. Ammunition supplies will be shorter, but steps are planned to insure in-sure sufficient ammunition for the control of predatory animals and birds. |