The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-04-26
HOOVER OUTLINES
FARM RELIEF SCHEME

Shington-(F P)-f HOO
ver's first message to Congress, deal
ing primarily with farm relief and
the tariff. shows that he looks upon
the farm problem as one which can
not be handled merely by tariff tin
kering or even by marketing machin-
cry. He points to the wartime ex-
pansion of land cultivation in this
country as abnormal, and gives warn
ing that foreign competition with the
American farming industry cannot be
met by thu American farmers under
present conditions. There must be
limitation r: production of some
crops, better storage and shipping and
orderly marketing, as well as ia tar
Tiff wall which will in turn cause new
difficulties with other countries.
In accordance with the campaign
pledge of his party, Hoover endorses
the Federal Farm Board plan which
has been written into the new Haugen
bill. He says it will be established
for the purpose of reorganization OF
the marketing system.
''To do this" Hoover explains,
"the board will require funds 10
assist in creating and sustaining
farmcr-Owntd and farmer-cOntrOiled
agencies for vaIlety of purposes,
such as the acquisition of adequate
~warehOusing and other facilities for
marketing; adequate working cap
ital to be advar ced against cOmmO-
dities lodged for storage; necessary
and prudent advances to corpora
tiOns created and owned by farm
ers' marketing organizations for the
purchase and orderly marketing of
SURPRISES OccasiOned by climatic
variations or by harvest c0nges-
tiOn; to authorize the creation and
support Of clearing houses. espe-
cially for perishable products, thru
which, under producers approval,
cooperation can be established with
distributors and professors TO more
orderly marketing of commodities
and for the elimination of many
wastes in distribution; and to pro-
vide for licensing of handlers of
some perishable products so as to
eliminate unfair practices"
But there must be no government
price-fixing or government agency flo
buying or selling farm products, Hoe
yer insists, since these things lead
bureaucracy. Farmers must saw
themselves, through their own cooper
atives and their own shrewdness. Th
board will assist only when the CO
operatives ask help.
Congressman and senators from tn
agricultural states were not particu
larly pleased with the Hoover mes.
age, since it was not specific in il
recommendations. 1t left TO Congress
the framing of the relief Legislation
including the fixing of the amount {
the fund to- be placed at the comman
of the board. If the scheme shoul
fail, Hoover could say that Congre;
did not carry out the real spirit of h
recommendations. That Hoover el
tertains only faint hope of restorir
prosperity to American farmers w;
indicated in his warning of the grov
ing seriousness of foreign competitio
and his declaration that the troub
of agriculture cannot be cured by Il
federal government alone, or be cur,
, In a day. And he was careful to al
that every effort of this character
an experiment.
Senator's from the Northwest vi
re denounced as red radicals
Rolsheviks when they endorsed t
: program Of the Nonpartisan LeagJ
! ten gears ago, for government suppo
: for farm marketing, read the mes sa
r with mingled emotions. They a
e glad to see the Republican regula
e reach this point in economic intel
gence; at the same time they look b