The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-01
FULL PROTECTION
 IN TARIFF POLICY
 FOR FARMER URGED
Nation Cannot Afford to Permit Breaking Down of Own Agriculture, SeCre-
 tary Declares
Rv Assoointsd Presn

Washington, March 31-Protect1on for the farmers on an equality with manufacturers and industrial interests in any tariff policy which is to be de- cided upon and adding to any rates which may be levied an amount equal to the extra freight charges in getting products to the consuming centers' was urged tonight in statement by Secretary Wallace. The heavy addi- tional burden" imposed on the pro ducers by increased freight rates the secretary declared are differential imposed upon our own producers and to the beneht of our foreign competi- tors"
 Manufacturers are naturally sand properly laying plans to meet foreign competition in the world markets and desire d tariff to protect them against cheap foreign goods, Mr, Wallace as- serted, but he insisted that the situa- yion faclng the producers must be con sidered' in any tariff legislation whether emergency or permanent. Producers. he said, are getting prices below cost of production. not alone because Of inactive business conditions at home put because or the importa- tons of competing foreign markets"
 The nation cannot afford to permit tne breaking down of its own agri- culture, the secretary continued, even Ii Tor tme We can buy food and oth- CT farm products cheaper from some one else. At present. he said, there IS large surplus of agricultural prod ucts but this will not continue be- cause the population is growing and consumption will catch up with pro- auction"
 MUST FIND REMEDY
 We cannot under any circumstanecs afford to permit the present discour- aging conditions to continue and result, in greatly decreased production" the secretary asserted, "because that de- creased production may mean exorbi- tantly high prices within a few years"
 The agricultural head said the present troubles are greatly aggravated" by conditions both at home and abroad. Foreign nations which owe the United States money are making desperate et- forts to grow their own food. he asserted, and consequently are buying as little as possible here and are trying to sell as much as they can
 Manufacturers, the secretary declared, want to cneapell lnelr own cost Of pro- duction in every way possible, and there fore are anxious to keep down the price of food products and raw materials. They want to extend the foreign markets i'll every way. he said
 tlf they can send .shiploads of theIr manufactured goods to the great produc- ing countries south of us,' he added, and bring back these ships loaded with food products produced on cheap land and with the cheapest of labor, that would seem to them to be good business. But if we look at the interest of the nation as d whole, such policy will De very bad indeed. What we might gain through temporary enlargement of our foreign markets for manufactured goods will be lost, and much more with It, through the lessened buying power of our own producing population.
 The foundation of national policy will be laid either consciously or uncon. sciously within the next six months, MT. Wallace declared, and what we shall do during this period is very likely to deter mine whether this is to be a self-sustain- ing agricultural people or as President Harding expressed it in one of hls speeches, whether we shall continue to exploit our agricultural resources for the benefit of our industrial and commercial life.
 I'ra etically "all agricultural products should at once be given adequate pro tection against foreign competition" he continued, adding that the sooner we get down to studying this whole national situation the better 1t is going to be for us"