Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-10
Washington Ticker
BY CLINTON COFFIN,
Associated Press Financial Writer.

Chairman Legge and his helpers of
the Federal Farm Board, having set up
at least the outlines for central market
ir agencies that will handle agricul-
tural products on a national scale, are
allowing some glimpses as to what will
be their further program for meeting
1880 crop year problems. One phase of
this is exhibited by the appeal to pro-
ducers, particularly of grain and cotton,
to curtan output SO as to reduce the
amount OF crop surplus above domestic
consumption that will have to be sold
or export markets. A second line of
procedure, On which the board has not
committed itself as yet by specific &C
ton, relates particularly to grain, and
calls for experimenting with the posi-
bility of getting international cooper
alton of Canadian and Argentine wheat
producers, in facing world buyers Of
that portion of North and South Ameri-
can grain which must go into European
consumption.
Chairman Legge has initiated some
approaches to the management of the
Canadian wheat pool, which agency
controls practically all of the Canadian
crop, but it is apparent that Argentine
farm organization has not developed far
enough to enable any dealings in that
direction. Discussions around the board
though, make it apparent that some
thing approaching an alliance between
t, Canadian grain agency and the new
central wheat marketing corporation set
up under the boards leadership will be
sought in coming months. Since Can.
ada furnishes in excess OF 300,000,000
bushels of wheat for world markets in
anything approaching a normal year,
while the United States surplus going
to the same destinations, even when
flour is added, may be less than haIf
that, it is obvious that there Is a COM
mon interest. Whether mutually proflt-
able marketing procedure can be de-
veloped remains to be seen.
AS to crop curtailment urgence, the
board is following a course taken by the
Agriculture Department in several pre-
vious years. It cannot be said that the
previous suggestions from Washington
have influenced producers toward acre
age reduction in any marked fashion,
but the board has the prestige OF its
newness in the matter. 1t is tackling
the problem of overproduction of farm
output early, in the hope that 1t can
prevent the 1880 surplus from weighing
down market prices, and there Is no
question that the extension of local
farm organization under way gives
many people hope that a measure of
success can attend the reduction cam
paign. The market prices on the great
produce exchanges can be watched III
ensuing weeks for fluctuations that will
register speculative opinion on the SUBJ
ject.
Summarizing varied collections OF
data from Shipping Board and inter-
departmental records, and In the light
of congressional appropriations commit
tee action, 1t seems that the prospects
recently raised for an active shipbuild-
ing year along American coasts have
not yet been appreciably dimmed. Con-
Office Department about $20,000,000 to
eXpend on ocean mail carriage during
the year beginning next July l, and by
reason of the peculiar arrangement of
loans and aids lent to mercantile ma
rine construction this allowance is fig
urcd BY rncgt cf. the experts to guar2n-
tee an cxpcnditur2. of about s175ooo,-
he lie