FORTY DEATHS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 198, 4 June 1934, Page 5

FORTY DEATHS.

HEAT WAVE IN AMERICA. ENORMOUS LOSSES IN CROPS. i (United Press Association—Copyrigut) NEW YORK, June 2. A message from Chicago states that although a weather forecast suggesting general showers over the drought area on both sides of the international line and extending south in Arkansas started a selling movement oa the Board of Trade to-day that 'carried wheat down by more than four cents, maizo three cents, and barley five, scorching temperatures continued oyer the sun-blistered farming areas, searing crops on millions of acres. A heat wave beyond anything that the United States has ever before experienced is blazing unabated over two-thirds of the country and spreading eastwards. Forty< deaths directly attributable to heat have been reported. • Cattle died on the barren and waterless ranges, crop losses mounted, the water supplies of great cities were threatened, and human suffering grew' as temperatures mounted for the sixth successive day to-day.

Although the Farm Relief Director, Mr Coffey, predicted that continuation of the drought for another fortnight would bring a national food shortage, the acting-Secretary for Agriculture, Mr Rexwell Tugwell, expressed surprise at the prediction and declared that the surpluses of grain vrere sufficient to prevent scarcity, even if the destruction of crops continued •■ unabated.

Drought relief measures contemplated in Washington included the appropriation of' 100,000,000 dollars for distribution to needy farmers, and a year's moratorium on. all farm indebtedness held by the Federal Government. Wlnle temperatures as high as_ 12._, degrees were reported in the Middle West, there were heavy summer snowstorms in AVashington, Montana and Idaho.