Evening star., 1926-03-09
URGES ELIMINATION
OF SURPLUS CROPS
Meredith Proposes Plan to
Cut Farm Production to
Absorption Level.

BY the Associated Press.
A new plan of farm relief. propos-
ing elimination of surplus crops rather
than marketing them. was presented
to the House agriculture committee
today by Edwin T. Meredith of Des
Moines. former Secretary of Agricul-
ture.
His testimony came during brief
interl,ide in the presentation Of the
case Of the Middle Western delegates
Az .,ointed at the recent farm relief
meeting in Des Mojnes. They favor
legislation to assure the farmer an
adequate price for his surplus
Problem Is Elimination.
''The real problem Is not to handle
the surplus" Mr.. Meredith said, but
to work out an agricultural policy
which will eliminate the surplus and
give us a balanced prcduction--a pro
duction meeting all the demands OF
the domestic market plus all the tor
elgn demand for agricultural produc-
ton al a price which will give farm
ers, as we have demanded for our
labor an American standard of living.
II am willing that farmers should
produce any quantity. no matter how
great. over domestic needs. granted it
will he absorbed in the worlds mar
kets al fair prices
'Production exported under these
conditions is. i'm effect. not surplus.
but is simply meeting our market: but
| am not willing our farmers should
he led tn produce a real surplus, to
be sold a. a loss. and this loss charged
back to the farmers.
Fee and Board TO BE Kept.
The bill being written by experts
Of the congressional legislative draft.
ing service probably would retain
these two central features:
A national Federal farm board. with
authority to solve crop problems
through the farmers cooperative or.
ganiZations.
An equalization fee--collected from
the manufacturer. professor or eX.
porter. but deducted by them from
the price paid the farmer--to provide
a fund to insure adequate prices for
surplus crops.
The mea sure is being drafted by de.
grees as the hearings proceed.
Whether it will contain drastic
tariff provision. empowering the Presi-
dent to declare an embargo on any
crop, has not been determined Chair
man Haugen of the Agriculture com.
mittee has declared relief bill would
he useless without such a clause.
Attaches" Sought.
Representative ketcham, Repubh.
can. Michigan. member Of the COM
mittee, yesterday added to the list of
pending farm measures a bill to sta.
tion agricultural attaches at advan-
tageous points throughout the world
ito assist American farmers to adjust
their operations and practices to meet
world conditions"
chairman of the corn belt com
mittee, which came to Washington a
week ago. was subjected to a severe
1ross-examination at yesterdays ag-
ricultural committee hearing.
When Representative Fort, Repuh-
lican. New Jersey. suggested that the
delegation was asking Congress to
force the farmers to do what they
have been unable or unwilling to do
themselves" MIR. Hirth replied that
Congress was asked Ito deal with
situation so serious we haven't time
to orga niZe to meet it ourselves"
Mr.. Fort added that il was sought
to compel the farmers to work entire.
lN through organizations and by the
Federal taxing power. to pay a fee
for marketing their crops whenever
surplus was declared by the pro-
posed Federal board. Mr.. Hirth con.
tended that that was mot a fair wav
to put it. in view of the emergency"