Nothing could be better than the appointment of Sir John
Boyd Orr to be the first Director-General of the new Food and Agriculture Organisation, for no man has done more to spread the gospel which has been translated into action first at Hot Springs and then at Quebec. It could only be a short-term appointment, for Sir John is 65. He is, it seems, to hold office till the end of 1947, which means that he will be able to set the organisation squarely on its feet and lay down lines of policy which some successor will find it easy to follow. The possibilities of the F.A.O. in promoting the prosperity of agriculture and at the same time raising nutritional standards the world over are immense, and no man is better qualified to make the most of them than the Member for the Scottish Uni- versities. Whether Sir John can retain his seat in Parliament is doubtful, but the odds are against it. Absentee M.P.s were tolerated during the war, but the situation is different now. It is a pity, for Sir John Orr had a definite contribution to make at Westminster.
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