e 



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Demand for farm products . Civilian demand for farm products probably will 

 "bontinue sufficiently high well into 19^^ to maintain the prices of most farm products 

 close to current levels. Shortages of food and clothing, especially in Europe, proba- 

 bly will be more serious during the coming winter than at any other time since the 

 start of the war. Purchases of farm products for relief will tend to increase as 

 military takings decline. The decline in the wage income of Industrial workers which 

 has been under way for several months probably will be accelerated. However, total 

 consimiers' incomes are not likely to be reduced enough to close completely the exist- 

 ing gap between civilifim demand and available supplies of many farm products at cur- 

 rent prices. 



The chief factors indicating a downward trend in consumers' incomes are the 

 recent declines in industrial production and industrial employment, the total wage 

 income of industrial workers and wage income per employed worker. Most of the de- 

 cline in industrial production has been in durable manufactured goods, particularly 

 machinery and transportation equipment. Offsetting this decline to a minor degree 

 are slight increases in private construction and in production of equipment in the 

 first half of I9I1.5. 



First conference of world food group . The first conference of the new 

 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations will be held in Canada begin- 

 ning October 16. Invitations have been sent to kk governments represented on the 

 FAO's interim comnisaion. The first conference will organize FAO operations and plan 

 the first year's program. Executive Secret€u:y Gove Hambidge said the conference ex- 

 pects to tackle immediately "some of the crying needs of the world" as well as the 

 "long-time program." He predicted that many nations would present acute rehabilita- 

 tion problems. 



OLW:d 

 9/6/1^5 



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