Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-10
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The drought will necessitate the
formation of large numbers Of local vol
untary associations of citizens for relief
work in cooperation with State gov
ernments and the Federal Government.
It should also greatly stimulate the de-
velopment of permanent cooperative
organizations among farmers not only
for the selling but for the buying OF
commodities connected with the agri-
cultural industry. Such are the two
main conclusions of a general character
to be observed here in the course of the
gradual unfolding of the Federal Gov
ernments efforts toward combating the
distress which the drought has caused
The Government is rapidly gathering
data with regard to the precise loca-
tionS of the maximum OF the distress
and with regard to its precise charac-
teristics both as to regions and as 10
individual farming units, but 1t seems
clear to this writer, after conversations
with most of the principal govern
mentaI persons concerned, that even
after all such data has been compre-
hensively gathered and after the Presl-
dent this next week has announced the
nature of his plans and hopes, IL Will
be virtually impossible for the Govern
ment to proceed effectively unless ana
until there is prompt growth from the
era IS roots up of local associations OF
farmers and business men through
which the Government can act
~ 4
The fundamental reason for this sit
uatton and for the duty which IL lays
upon local communities has become
abundantly apparent here tnrougn Suc !.
reports of the effects Of the drought as
have already reached Washington. II
Is increasingly revealed that those Ell
fects differ so widely from region 10
region and from county to county ana
from farm to farm that the problem OF
relief is a problem ultimately OF IN
diyidual personal cases. These cases are
of an INFINITE variety. They include the
farmer whose land is fully mortgageo
and whose farm animals are 1ully cnat,
tel mortgaged and who now mas losI az
his feed crops and who is eSSentany
destitute. They INCLUDE, al tns oILlel
end of the scale. the farmer who may
have lost all his feed crops, but VINO
has unmortgaged land and unmortgageo
farm animals and who for the purchase
of feed needs simply rapid and eco
nofnical credit. It is wholly Impossible,
n is realized here, for the Federal Gov
ernment to reach out through the
length and breadth Of the country ana
itself sift these individual cases INTO
their multitudinous differing categorles
and then itself convey to each FARMER
what he actually needs and keep pacK
from each farmer what he actually does
not need.
The problem is accordingly insoiubie
in any comprehensive and genuinely
successful way unless there is a quick
outbreak Of that spirit OF local sen
government and of local self-asslstance
which SO many of our State Governors
have recently praised so highly and ao-
vocated so earnestly. 1t Is thought mere
that in this emergency they nave
large opportunity to rescue their re,
marks from being only academic ano
nolitical. They have constantly assalleo
Federal interference" Today tneh
states in many instances seem to DC
looking almost exclusively to the FED
eral Government for action 10 reheVe
their distress, and in the meantime nu-
merous State governments, Whlch are
much closer to the dif1culties involved
and which should accordingly know
much more about them, are stanolne
relatively idle and unconcerned Wnal
the moment Is thought here TO demand
along with Federal interstate Nation
wide planning and leading, Is a Dig
stirring of local initiative In States ano
counties and towns and villages toWaro
the creation of collective ASSOCIATIONS
with which the Federal Government
can competently deal.
" * ~
In every afflicted community there
should be, 1t is thought here, an asso-
citation which can survey the local
needs and which can accurately re-
port upon them to the State and Fed
eral authorities and which finally, ano
! above all, can assume some financial
responsibility for the repayment CT inc
loans which under its auspices the Fed
eral Governments agencies may be able
to advance to farmers for the rebabill-
tation of their farming prospects In
some cases these local associations
might be based upon local agricultural
cooperative societies already existing
The Federal Government has found
however, that in large numbers OF in
stances our agricultural cooperative
societies are still too weak and too in
experienced financially to be tegaroeo
as reliable credit institutions. If this
country were today properly equipped
| with strong cooperative organization:
| of farmers for the collective buying OF
machines and of animals and OF fer.
| tiItzers and of feeds, the Government
could proceed to deal directly and In.
stantly with those organizations and
! the whole problem of the administering
of the present needed drought relief
! would be automatically solved. In this
| general absence of effective cooperative
organizations of that sort, 1t Is now
held here that temporary voluntary
credit organizations with the help Of
| local business men must be at once
brought into existence.
|
| Such credit organizations, which
will study the needs of the loca
| farmers and then help to underwritt
| the repayment of the moneys advanced
to them, should report as rapidly al
| possible TO their State governments
and to the Federal Governments ap'
propriate agencies: the Department o.
ARriculture. the Federal Farm Board