Atlanta Daily World

Marshall Plan Aid Rushed To Africa

WASHINGTON, D. C. - (NNPA) The Marshall Plan last week rushed dollars to help stave off the impending plague of the red locust in Africa.

The Economic Cooperation Administration last October financed $179,000 worth of American specially-equipped trucks to aid in the fight against desert locusts which now are beginning to swamp Africa threatening a widespread destruction of food crops which would bring famine to millions.

The red locusts, equally voracious, have been sighted in the Rukwa Valley in Tanganyika, a trust territory in British East Africa. In 1929, swarms of these giant grasshopper-like bugs escaped from this area and spread all over southern Africa, damaging millions of dollars worth of crops before the plague finally was brought under control.

Marshall Plan aid in the Rukwa Valley will involve $12,661 from the agency's overseas development reserve fund to pay for five dusting machines to spray locust breeding grounds. ECA officials are hopeful of getting the dusters to this area in time to help prevent widespread destruction of crops.

The red-locust plague, if allowed to spread, can last as long as ten or fifteen years.

Unlike the desert locusts, which currently are darkening the skies over North Africa, French Equatorial Africa, India and Egypt, the red-locusts concentrate farther south, blighting such areas as Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the Belgian territories of the Congo and Ruanda-Urundi, the Portuguese territories of Angola and Mozambique, and South Africa.

The International Red Locust Control Service, established by Great Britain, Belgium and Portugal to supervise areas in Central Africa which are known to produce swarms of these insects, has been successful in keeping down the red locust threat during the past few years.

During last winter's drought however, the locusts increased, and (Continued on page 6 Column 4)
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serious danger exists that during and after the current rainy season -December through February-the locusts may get out of control.
In the current battle against desert locusts, caravans of insect fighters are crossing the vast Saudi Arabian territory in 1,000 trucks specially armed with poison bait, sprayers and other insecticide equipment.