Evening star., 1923-11-23
Denies Wheat Surplus.
Representative Little Cites u. S.
Figures as Proof.
To the Editor Of The Star:

| To the Editor Of The Star:
On the first page of The Sunday Star
! find an article about a column long
concluding on the eleventh page
which says: "Just now virtually
every plan for farm relief centers
around the idea that the farmer
plus products abroad. - Some
Of the proponents go so far as to ad-
vocate virtual gift of our surplus
products to Europe in order to sus-
! tain prices at a profitable level here -
On your table lies a communication
In which have presented TO The Star
! the official figures of the Department
or Agriculture, which demonstrate
without any question that there is
no surplus wheat in this country or
! in the world at large.
secretary Wallace tells me that we
Will eat this year 537,000,000 bushels,
VIII feed to stock 100000, have
soWn Hno 6o,ooO,000; and have exported
77,OO0,000 bushels of wheat The Sec
retary announces that we only raised
1Sl 100000 bushels this year, and this
disposes of 733,O00,000 bushels Of 1t.
Inc carry over next year will be
ABOUT what it was this year. and it
is not necessary to consider the carry
over. We have only the difference
between 100000 and $4,000. 600.
which is 4S,000,000 bushels to con-
slder. according to the departments
own figures.
Those figures show that We have
exported 100000 bushels since har-
vest, ana anybody can see at a glance
that the 4S.000.000 bushels will go over
seas by New Year, and there is no sur
plus here at all.
AS a matter of fact, those figures
also show that the average consump-
| .Ioh IN TINS country per capita for
tWenty-tWo years has been 5.39+
puSheiS. IT is practically certain that
we VIII eat at least the average for
twenty-five years, which would con-
sumo 533,00G,000 bushels instead of
the 35TOOO,O00 Mr.. Wallace suggests.
ana II We do consume 593 900, 600 in
stead OF Mr.. Wallace's 537,00O.00O. we
Viii Will pc compelled to import at least
s,ooO 900 bushels in order to have
enough to eat.
Those figures I presented also show
,,fa ,nat during the five years since the
war we have sold abroad in round
numbers 1850. 100000 bushels of
wheat. and that is s25,O00.OOO more
than We sold abroad in the five
years before the war. Is it not self
should find surplus wheat, we couldn't
nope to sell any more abroad than
We have been selling? This sugges-
tlon that we must enable the farmer
10 sell his crops abroad Is simply
who have already purchased most of
the farmers crops and wish the gov
ernment to buy what they hold.
The statements made in this ar
ticle that we have a surplus of wheat
and we must find European mar
ket for the farmer have been printed
and reprinted many times in the
great papers until everybody believes
figures. it is utterly without any
foundation. The statement Is eX-
tremely misleading and, as a result.
the farmers have sold their wheat
for less than il cost them and lost
millions. The temperance of that
assertion on the front page of
great paper like The Star goes far
TO assist that mistaken propaganda.
My figures all come from the de-
partment, and DR.. Stine, an expert
from there, came down and verified
them in my office the other day.
L. C. LITTLE.