AGRICULTURAL TALKS

Chronicle (Levin), 20 May 1947, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL TALKS

(Special Correspondent.)

. ♦ : — Colourful Figures Araong 200 Delegates

Received Monday, 7.0 p.m. SCHEVEN1NGEN, May 19. Altliougk a score or more of ranguages are spoken. by the 200 delegates and obsetvei-s who are atteiiding The conference of .the intei-natioila. ^'ederation of Agrieultur&J: Pfoducefs ; English and French arev not only thr diiciai languages of the conference Ini4 ilso the most genernl means of informa .'.ommunication. SociaJly as well . af .iround the conference and comniittet Lables, members of tliis Woi'ld Farinera Parliament have already begun ti. lcuow eacK other well and every luncl uour and evening adjoumment iind thoroughly cosmopolitan groups discuss ing tlieir common xiroblems in the manv small but cheerful restaurants wliic] .rbound near tlie seafront of this pleas ant Dutch seaside resort. Scheveniugeu, oue of the suburbs oi The Hague, is a Dutch Margati though without, its pier. fc5cheveniugei had a pier but it was biown up b\ the Germans when they fortilied th> seafront and today only the twislei. iron supports of the piles reniain. In this thoroughly mixed iuterna tional gathering of farmers ' leaders, certain personalities have already emerged. There is Afr. John II. Wesson C.B.E., the energetic cigar smoldng presiden. of Canada's largest vvheat pool organ isation, who has already persuaded thi conference to regard wheat as oue Oi its major preoccupations. Mr. Wesson is Manchester boru and has a Ma_n chester man's tenacity in sticking to his subject. For 25 vears he has work ed to organise Canada's wheat pools] and there is very little about wheat he doesn't know. The French delegates have already christened hini ' ' the wheat king". The French have the only woman delegate, Uiladame Ffancoise Bucli'ardy, who was awarded a British War Office citation for her work with the French resistance movement during the war, and also a mflitary decoration by hei own country. Mme. Buchardy farius 1200 acres at Eutraigues in Bouthefu t'Tance, wliere she runs cattle and ijreeds prize Percheron horses. Eire, which is lnuking oue of its (irst appearances at an luternational confer crice, is represehted by Senator I'. F. Baxter from County Galway where he is a well-known dairy and beef farmer. Although Mr. Baxter is a member oi the Eire Opposition Party, he admits he ean see no successor to Mr. ile Valcra in Irish jiolitics. Two of tlie delegates are bearers of titles. Lord Francis Mcott who repre sents Kenya, fought in a British Guards regiment in the iirst world war and cas seriously wounded. Count \ an ijynden \'an Bandennurg, a member oi an old Dutch family, was oue of the moving spirits in ihe formation of the federation a year ago in London and has been very largely responsible fo» the excelle^t organisULiun of this year's conference in lioUand. ' The United Bi.ates doiegntiou oi thirleCiij' ¥K6"l'arg^t tlfh' h-' ference, is headed by tlie president oi Ihe National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, M r. Quentin Itevnolds. Mr. Reynolds had had sonie trtiuble over a confusion of names as had Britain's and America's tw6 Winston Churcliills. lie is no relation to the well-known Anierican nevvspaperman and autlior oi tlie stune name. Oiitstaiiding among the British re presentatives at the conference and in deed a mati to vvhom i y coiumon con sent. most credit is owed for the organisation of uie federation, is its interim president, Mr. J.ames Turner,. who is also president of the National Farmers' Union of l.ngland and WaJes Mr. Turner, who ci-iPed New Zeaiand sonie years ago, farum m Yorkshiro nutl has represented British agrieulturists at every major conference since the war. Mr. 'turner appears to satisfv ail the exacting requirements of leadersliip in an international organisation and there is general hope that he will reconsider his decision not to seek elec tiou as tlie federation 's Iirst pernTanenl president. Good Progress Made. Good progress has been made by both the Constitution Coniniittee and the Policy Drafting Committee and when the conference resumes open ses sion on.Thursday of this week the completed constitution and a numb'er of important recomn.endations wnicli vvill determine the roie. this new international farmers' organisation is to play in world adair* will '.e re i ly for oiscussion. The policv eoiiim iftee has alreadv announced that it has set up a special panel to study the question of cartels and restrictive practices, and tl.at it will reconiiuend the Food and Agriculture Committee of the United Nations or any other appropriate jl lernational bodies to investigate re l strietive ])i-actices which may have %i, adverse eli'ect upon the supply and price of agriculturul rcq aisites. The connnittee was particularly eoncerned with the eft'ee't of cartel control over fertiliser si pplies iu I.urope, and i( is expecieil that riie conituiic"* will press urgently for international legislation to control cartel operations. Lt has been piainly put to tlie delegates in commiTtee that llu: Food and Agriculture Organisation >>f the U.N.O. is looking to the "federation to strengthen its hani iu ituernatioua1 affairs and back the world food plans of >Sir John Bovd Orr. A D-:ffxcult Task. Both the policy ant -lie const tution coininittees are wrdst.iiag with the difticult tusk of deliniug ae precis* role of the federation m rela'tiqry tci the Food and Agrieultural Orginish tion and other international Gover n ment organ isatious. The chief dis cussion centres rou'nd the question o1 whether of "not LF.A.P. will exerl active political pressure upon . Gw Govei'nments and take zon jorred measures, when" neeessary, lo impress its vicws. It is ••ecognised that th' degree of inllueuce ihe feieration wP be able to exert will depeud largel.v upon unanimity within its own eoanciJf and npon the d.egree of support it* ctnnponent organisations are able to obtain in tlieir own countries. Two \

important machinery decisions must also be made shortly. T(he Iirst is the appointment of a secretary or directorgeneral as the federation 's- chief administTative offic.er, and the secind is ihe loeation of next year 3 annnal con- . ference. It has been su-ggested „fha.t this should be held in Ontam, Canacla, in tlie buildings of the Agrieul tural College at Guelph.