Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-10-29

AT least two Senators are determined
to abolish the crop reports issued by
the Department of Agriculture-Sena-
tors Caraway and Borah.
Senator Caraway points at the last
report on the cotton crop, issued last
week. 1t states that the estimated
yield Of Southern cotton is placed at
15226,000 bales, or an increase Of
467 900 bales over the estimate of Oc-
tober L. The report is denounced by
Senator Caraway as an inaccurate
forecast" which has cost the planters
Of the South millions Of dollars. AS a
result of the October ! report, the Ar
kansas Senator says, the farmers or
the South lost $3.50, 100000; as a result
Of the October Is report they lost an
other 100000 900.
AS the cotton report comes every
two weeks, it appears to Senator Cara
way too great an expense under the
policy of curtailment of expenses IN
augurated by President Coolidge.
IF the Government were in actual
alliance with the SPECTATORS, re-
marked the Senator. ''it could not CO
operate more effectively with the
bear element in the cotton exchanges.
AS soon as Congress meets l VIII IN
trodace a bill to put an end to gam
bling In cotton and grain, and, II
necessary, L VIII even 81 81 A1.i 60
abolish the Department of Agrlcul-
ture."
Charles Lamb reported that the early
Chinese, having once gotten a TASTE
of roasted pig through the accidental
burning of a house, liked IT so well
that they made a practice OF burning
down a house or two whenever they
VII X.
To abolish the whole Department or
Agriculture might be a means OF
roasting some Of the congressional or
speculative pork" but the officials
of the department claim there Is
better way. They point to the prac-
ticability of penalizing speculation,
without preventing the producers from
learning the truths affecting the mar
ket's supply and demand of what they
have produced. After all. they de-
clare, it is not the facts which hurt
it is the i'll use of them in gambling.
Senator Borah does not go so far
as does his Democratic colleague in
demanding that the reports be sup
pressed, but he Is with him in wanting
to scotch the speculation, which, he
says, has grown up around the
Federal crop reporting system. He
will support a bill to be introduced
by Senator CaraWay TO penallze Ill
speculation in farm products. 1t is
understood that farmers generally
will welcome such bill, freeing their
products from artificial influences In
the markets.
X X X X
The Federal crop reports were in.
troduced in the direct interests OF
farmers in order to give them the
only reliable information possible as
to their crop yields and the supply OF
their staples in the markets. Farmers
are not so organized that they can
possibly get the information them
selves, and they were absolutely de-
pendent upon the spectators for In
formation. The dealers and gamblers
in farm products were already gather.
ing their own reports, and many of
them continue to do so, even at a
cost in some cases as high as $4,000
a year; many firms spend from $4,000
to $4,000 a year for reports from
observations made by their own
agents. No farm organization. says
Chairman Calendar of the Crop Re
port Board, is strong enough to com
pete in such an enterprise, hence the
spectators had the farmers at their