Abstract

Czar or Subsidies

The article discusses the food crises in America. Opponents of the Administration have apparently decided to take advantage of bad weather and the exceptional food requirements of war time to make as much political capital as possible out of the food shortage. Their cry at the moment is for a "food czar" with full control over production, processing, distribution, and pricing of food. On the surface, the demand seems not unreasonable. Greater coordination and centralization of authority are usually necessary in war time. The advocates of a "food czar" probably have no desire to upset our manpower or lend-lease arrangements. Their one interest is in getting higher prices for farm products, and their demand for an over-all food authority is largely a cloak for a drive against the existing price controls. The higher interests of a balanced war-production program have been wholly overlooked.