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It was agreed that competent specialized agencies such as FAO should be entitled to submit commodity studies to the Organization or to ask that a study of a primary commodity be made. This was embodied in the final draft charter, which was published in September, 1947. In the meantime, FAO had conducted its third session of conference, also in Geneva, from 25th August to 11th September. The report of the Preparatory Commission on World Food Proposals formed the basis of much of the discussion, especially by Commission I, dealing with " the world food and agricultural situation." The conference agreed substantially with the Preparatory Commission's report, and Commission I recommended the establishment not of a World Food Board with financial resources and wide powers to fix a general policy incumbent on member States, but a Council within FAO to ensure co-ordination of action between Governments with a view to the implementation of FAO's policy while allowing member countries to retain maximum freedom of action. There is little doubt that the conference was considerably influenced by the ITO commodity proposals as, though the ITO charter had not yet been published, its contents were known to most FAO delegates, some of whom had been attending ITO meetings before the FAO Conference. Commission I concluded its report with this sentence : " When ITO is established, there will obviously be need for close co-operation between it and FAO ; this could be provided for to some extent at least in an inter-agency .arrangement." The FAO conference amended its constitution to permit of the establishment of its new Council. This was done and the Council established on the last day of the •conference. The Council of FAO The Council of FAO, which superseded the previous Executive Committee, is composed of eighteen member nations elected by ballot for a three-year term, though to begin with one-third will have to be elected for each of the next three years, the duration of the initial period being decided by lot. Each of the eighteen member nations then nominates its representative on the Council. Viscount Bruce was unanimously -elected independent Chairman for the first twelve months. The Council held its first meeting in November, 1947, and its second from sth to 17th May, 1948. The immediate problems facing the Council are short-range ones of food and material shortages, and one of its first acts was the absorption of the International Emergency Food Council, which now becomes a committee of the Council of FAO, and which is continuing to operate through commodity committees for those commodities still in short supply and under allocation. At its first session the Council formed a committee known as the Policy Committee on Production and Distribution, which, working with the staff of FAO, will secure all possible information on the individual production plans of member nations. At its second meeting in April, 1948, the Council again reaffirmed the extremely serious nature of the food shortage and urged on all member Governments the necessity for making every effort to increase production. Resolutions passed at the first meeting were concerned with maximum utilization of available foodstuffs, especially dried milk and cereals. Accomplishments of FAO To date FAO's accomplishments have been most marked in the technical sphere. It must be realized, of course, that the Organization is essentially one dealing with longrange problems, and no spectacular results are likely to be achieved for many years.

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