Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-05
SOVIET FACES TEST
IN FARM POLICIES
Drive on KuIak Will Furnish
Clue to Future of Pres
ent Regime.
BY JOHN r. SINCLAIR.
'ecial Dispatch TO The Star.

BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR.
| Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, August 5.-The most
| exhaustive study yet made in the United
States on the Russian agrarian problem
has been completed by the Foreign Pol
icy Association Of New York.
The present Soviet drive on rural
Russia is aiming at the elimination
first of the kulak. He Is defined as "a
peasant who rents land, hires labor,
possesses q mill or other home indus
try and engages in trade or usury."
In 1925 the kulakS amounted to but
3.3 per cent of the rural population, the
| middle-class peasants about 66.4 per
cent and the poor peasants 1913 per
cent.
| But in 1928 the upper middle-class
peasants tended toward the kulaks, who
| then formed 10 per cent of the agri-
cultural population. furnished 80 per
cent of the total grain production and
40 per cent Of the total marketed grain.
Machinery, still more machinery, is
the watchword of the rural Russian.
With Ford's tractor factory there in
shape, supplemented by the factories
the Soviet government has erected, from
/ Sc, 900 to 10000 tractors will be turned
out annually in the next five years.
The Federal Council of Churches, too.
has issued long article dealing with
| the future of agriculture under Soviet
rule. Soviet rule embraces three steps
first, the military organization; second,
the new economic policy nep, formu-
! lated by Lenin; third, the building up
of collective farming.
Will the Soviet government succeed?
1t depends on results. If 1t gives the
peasant more food, better housing con-
! ditions, more recreation, better educa-
| ton for his children, then the peasant
will support it. Otherwise, the govern
ment will face its most critical test.
Every farming section of the world Is
watching the experiment.
| The report, rather widespread. that
meat consumption has been decreasing
for many years Is not founded on facts,
according to the Bureau Of Agricultural
Economics, which has checked the fig-
ures for the last 80 years.
| c. D. Whalin, in charge OF the divi-
sion of live stock, meat and wool, says
that the increase in the population of
the United States during the last three
| decades has been met by increased meat
production and that consumption and
production have about paralleled one
another.
:, Today. according to Chairman Legge
of the Farm Board, there Is no surplus
problem either in meat or dairy prod
ucts.
The lamb increase of 100000 this
year is very heavy and the Farm Board
has recommended that these lamIs be
moved to market as soon as possible to
avoid a rush later.
In the case of pork and lard, the
United States has always been on an
export basis, but the beef and mutton
produced during the last Is years
largely has been consumed within its
own borders.
The per capita meat consumption for
the last 80 years has varied, according
to the Government. It was as high as
155 pounds in 1907 and as low as 100
pounds in 1877. The 1929 figures were
1866.
Meat consumption must be considered
normal. concludes Mr.. Whalin.
Copper prices have about reached
the bottom" says Sam A. Lewisohn of
the Miami Copper Co.
With prices now at the lowest figure
since 1902, 31a cents below the 10-year
average Of 1920-2s, and close to, 8 cents
below the previous l0-year average, this
copper magnate believes that the pres
ent 11-cent price is far below the cost
to many American mines.
Mr.. Lewisohn quotes statistics from
the United States Tariff Commission to
show that approximately 46 per cent of
the domestic output OF. copper last year
cost IL cents or more to nine.
These high-cost production copper
! mines face a shutdown. And silver,
being largely the by-product of many of
these high-cost mines, only adds to the
problem. For silver prices stand at the
lowest price in century.
Is there danger that substitutes for
copper will add still further to the cop
per producers troubles? Mr.. Lewisohn
does not believe so. In fact, quite the
reverse. Copper is being more widely
used now than ever before.
The -11-cent-a-pound copper price is
the lowest in % years. Last weeks sales
Of foreign copper by Copper Exporters,
Inc, were the largest in two months.
Still some profess to believe that copper
will decline to 10 cents before the up
swing comes.
Should the Transcontinental Air
ort-Maddox and the Western Air
Express merge, 1t would bring together
new coast-to-coast passenger, mail
and express air service, tying up more
than 10000 miles of airway and create
second big transcontinental system.
What's back of this move, which will
bring together two well known young
men. Charles A. Lindbergh, chairman Of
the Technical Committee O. the Trans
continental Air Transport Maddox, and
Herbert Hoover, jr, chief engineer for
the Western Air Express? Eliminating
overheads? Yes-but it is more likely
getting ready to bid for the profitable
air mail business.
The Transcontinental Air Transport
INES, only two years old, have never
carried mail-only passengers. But
the proposed tie-up would bring forth
rival to the Boeing System. which car
ries both passengers and nail.
Some day, the airplane. serving pas
sengers exclusively. will be a profitable
business: But until that day arrives, air
mail will continue to be life saver.
(Copyrisht, 1880. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance)