Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-16
TEXT OF PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Hoover Rearms Election Pledge in Urging Congress to
Give Relief to Farmers and
Revise Tariff

Following Is the text Of President
Hoover's message to Congress:
ITO the Congress Of the United States:
IT have called this special session o.
Congress to redeem two pledges river
| in the last election-farm relief anc
limited changes in the tariff.
1.-THE difficulties of the agriculture
| industry arise out of a multitude 81
causes. A heavy indebtedness was in.
herited by the industry from the defla.
wasteful methods of marketing have de.
veloped. The growing specialization In
the industry has for years been increas.
ing the proportion Of products that now
leave the farm, and in consequence
prices have been unduly depressed BY
congeSted marketing at the harvest Of
by the occasional climatic SURPRISES
Railway rates have necessarily in.
creased. There has been q growth oil
competition in the world markets from
countries that enjoy cheaper labor Of
more nearly virgin soils. There was O
great expansion of production from oul
marginal lands during the war, anc
upon these profitable enterprise under
normel conditions cannot be maintained
Meanwhile their continued output tends
to aggravate the situation. Local taxes
have doubled and in some cases trebled
Work animals have been steadily re-
placed by mechanical appliances there
by decreasing the consumption OF farm
products. There are many other con-
tributing causes.
THE general result has been that our
agricultural industry has not kept pace
| in prosperity or standards Of living
| with other lines of industry
Problem One Of c.ethod.
| "There being no disagreement as tc
the need of farm relief, the problem
before us becomes one of method BY
which relief may be most successfully
brought about Because Of the multi
tude Of causes, and because agriculture
is not one industry but q score Of in
dustries, we are confronted not with q
single problem alone but a great num-
| Der of problems. Therefore. there is nc
single plan or principle that can bt
generally applied. Some Of the forces
working to the detriment of agriculture
can be greatly nitigated by improving
our waterway transportation; some OF
them by readjustment Of the tariff
some by better understanding and ad-
| juStment of production needs, and some
by Improvement in the methods Of mar
keting
IAN effective tariff upon agricultural
products that will compensate the
| farmers higher costs and higher stand
ards of living has dual purpose. Such
tariff not only protects the farmer in
our domestic market but 1t also stimuli
lates him to diversity his crops and to
grow products that he could not other
wise produce. and thus lessons his de-
pendence upon exports to foreign mar
ketS. The great expansion of produc-
ton abroad under the conditions have
mentioned renders foreign competition
in our export markets increasingly seri-
Gus. It seems but natural, therefore
that the American farmer, having been
greatly handicapped in his foreign mar
ket by such competition from the
younger expanding countries, should ask
that foreign access to our domestic
market should be regulated by taking
into account the differences in our costs
Of production.
THE Government has q special man.
date from the recent election not only
to further develop our waterways ano
revise the agricultural tariff but also tc
extend systematic relief in other direc-
tons.
Federal Farm Board.
IT have long held that the multi
plicity of causes Of agricultural depres-
sion could only be met by the creation
of a great instrumentality clothed with
sufflcient authority and resources to as
sist our farmers to meet these prob
lens, each upon its own merits. The
creation of such an agency would al
once transfer the agricultural question
from the field Of politics into the realm
of economics and would result in con-
Structive action. The administration IL
pledged to create an fundamentally
that will investigate the causes, find
sound remedies and have the authority
and resources to apply those remedies.
THE pledged purpose Of such a Fed
eral farm board is the reorganization Of
the marketing system on sounder anc
more stable and more economic lines
To do this the board will require funds
| to assist in creating and sustaining
agencies for a variety of purposes, such
as the acquisition of adequate ware
housing and other facilities for market
ing; adequate working capital to be
advanced against commodities lodged
for storage; necessary and prudent ad.
| vances to corporations created and
owned by farmers marketing organize
tions for the purchase and orderly mar
| keting of SURPRISES occasioned by eli
| matte variations or by harvest conges-
ton; to authorize the creation and sup
port Of clearing houses, especially fol
| perishable products. through which, un-
der producers approval, cooperation
can be established with distributors anc
professors to more orderly marketing OF
commodities and for the elimination Of
many wastes in distribution: and tt
provide for licensing Of handlers Of
some perishable products 50 as to elimi-
nate unfair practices. Every penny Of
waste between farmer and consumer
that we can eliminate, whether 1t arises
from methods of distribution or from
hazard or speculation, will be q gair
to both farmer and consumer.
Inquiry Held Essential.
"In addition to these special provi-
sions in the direction of improved re.
turns, the board should be organized
to investigate every field of economic
betterment for the farmer. so as to fur
nish guidance as to need in production
to devise methods for elimination OF
improbable marginal lands and theil
adaptation to other uses; to develop
/ industrial by-products and to survey q
score Of other fields of helpfulness.
Certain safeguards must naturally
surround these activities and the in.
strumentalities that are created. Ger.
| tain vital PRINCIPLES must be adhered tx