AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMICS

Chronicle (Levin), 15 May 1947, Page 6

AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMICS

farm; workers outnumber OTHERS Twa TO ONE - Received'Wednesday, 11 p.m. SGHEVENINGLN, May 14. The vital importance of agricultural prodncers to world economies, is stressed by the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture- Organisation oi United Nations, Sir John Boyd Orr, .in a special message read to the firsl plenary sessions of' the conference oi' the International Federation' of Agn^ cultural Producers by SiT John's deputy and . special . adviser, Mr. Stephen Louwes. "Your organisation is' a peculiarly fundamental one in world economies," said Sir John. " "Your eoncern is the land, the world 's most- vital resource. Your products are food, fibre and other essentials of life. You speak for the agricultural producers, a group- that outnumbers .by two to one, the workers in all other occupations'put together. " He expressed the hope that the LF.A.P. would send representatives to the next conference of F.A.O. in Geueva in August when the first report of the World Food Council set up at the Copenhagen conferenee of F.A.O. last year, wou'ld be considered. ' "I'wish your federation all success in its work now and in the future. 1 should like to emphasise again the great responsibility for leadership which rests upon your shoulders. We are living in an anxious and poverty stricken world. , Political progress to wards peace is slow and hesitating. J am sute you will agree with me that if we can mobilise the world 's resourc'es so that we can obtain better standards of living for all men, and if we can assist the world 's farmers to utilise their skill so that scarcity may be re placed with abundance, we shall be taking the most essential step. " The interim exi^utive ha's alreadv held its first meeting and the complex organisation of the conference machinery completed. With the exception of tlie Russians who did not answer their invit-ation, the only* major absentee is Argentina. The Argentine Farmers ' Union accepted tlie invitation to send an observer and nominated Senor H. H. Vanpereda , but so far he has not appeared. In view of the fact that Argentina has ; not joined the F.A.O. and refused to participate in the recenl London world wheat conference, its abstention on this occasion has caused little surprise but has . prompted speculations as to whether Argentiha proposes to continue to play a liine hand in interhationaj affairs. Last evening up.wards of 400 delegates, observers, members of the secretariat and Dutch guests, ^attended a'dinner given- by the Netherlands Farmers' Union. Jt was an informal gathering at which there was no toast and the'few speeches'made lasted fewer than five minutes each.-- . The offi'cial 'opening in the 700-year-old Riddervaril of Knighs Hall, where the Queen of V'the Netherlands opens the Dutch Parliament every year, was the only touch' of ceremony the conference perttlilted itself. The dele1 gates , assemUed ' below , the royal dais on whicli sta^''fhre^l'tiii"bi(feS''ofe,cu|iied by Wilhelmina, fJulij^pa , and- Princc Bernhafd 'dh ^t'ate ticcasions, under the inassive; oakeii ^rq,fted. qeilihg of' Ihe ancient -haU; the. Valls pf Yhic'h' are deeked Virith',ifhe: treirittga; of the ; Knights jjOf tjhe!' Gblden TleeOe. •When the cerqmony concluded it was ■spmdhhing of an anticlimax to hear the presi'dent annqunee that the conference would adjourn from the melieval' splendour of RiddeTvaal to the ' 1 Palais de Dans" Scheveningen, where the plenary sessions of the conference take place.