Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-18
Effort to Reduce Acreage
Creates Hot Controversy

/ vator to store it in while he is waiting
for the Government to regulate the
price,"
1.-THE chairman of the Farm Board
and the Secretary of Agriculture" re-
marks the Omaha World-Herald have
been 10 Nebraska with the latest off,
clal word concerning the Hoover plan
{, of farm relief. Their message is brief,
simple. and lucid. If the farmer is to
be helped, he must help himself. The
only way he can help himself is, to a
large extent, to quit farming. In the
case of wheat, either one out of every
four wheat growers should go out OF
business, or all the wheat growers
should produce 20 per cent less than
normal farming would justify. Every
/ 40-acre field OF wheat must be reduced
| to 80 acres; every l00-acre field to rs
acres. II the farmers will not do that,
| voluntarily, then one-quarter of all the
American wheat farmers must be
squeezed out and sent to the cities to
hunt for jobs" The World Herald is
convinced that the farmers answer
NO" to the boards proposed remedy,
and suggests: THE new economic
scheme, directly contrary to what far
mers have been taught and learned for
years, seems certain to collapse of It's
| own weight 1t may be the remedy
bat It will never be tried. The irdi-
! vidual farmer cannot afford to make
the experiment"
While, from the shQrt-range point of
| view states the Baltimore Sum-. lit
would probably help the wheat farmers
to restrict their acreage 1t is doubtful
If 1t would help the country as whole
Tor the Federal Government officially
to advocate restriction of production as
a key to financial success. 1t not only
! revefses our traditional national policy,
which has been that of endeavorinR to
secure maximum use of the available
resources, but IL makes a major assault
upon the basic assumptions underlying
the general faith in our economic sys-
tenn. In its potentialitieS 10 Is rIiomen-
tous business"
Emphasis is placed by the Kalamazoo
Gazette upon the view of Chairman
Legge that ALI of the various groups
and associations now functioning In the
interest of American agriculture should
get together and provide the unanimity
OF opinion that is so essential to the
furtherance of a common purpose" The
Milwaukee Journal holds that at does
SEEM that a compromise could be
reached by which the farmers would
agree to organize and limit their pro-
duction, not just to meet domestic
needs but to provide only a reasonable
states that the gluts, the sales on con-
signment. the acceptance Of less than
cost Of production. are all due to the
hurrying of farmers to compete with
one another, while Schemers chuckle
and manipalators amass money"
The Department of Agriculture"
says the Little Rock Arkansas Demo-
crst. seems unable to grasp the ele-
mentary truth that prices are never
helped by being talked down. Nor does
the Farm Board appear to have much
clearer vision of that vital fact. Acreage
reduction, too much wheat, too much
cotton-that's the battle cry of victory
for the farm cause. Gov Clyde Reed
of Kansas pertinently asks the Farm
Board what else but wheat the farmer
of the semi-arid Western plains can
grow
The st. Paul Pioneer Press notes that
'on the showing of the Federal crop
report for July the Northwest has re-
Sponded to the Farm Boards advice to
plant less wheat" The San Antonio
Express maintains: 'If the farmer can
sell the harvest from 10 acres for what
the yield OF 20 acres brought before, he
is better off, even though the extra 10
acres produce nothing" The Okla
homa CITY Times takes the position that
reduction, if it is to be achieved to
any helpful extent, must be applied to
the regions of big production. The
Winter wheat belt Of the Middle West
and Southwest Is such an area" The
Asheyille Times remarks: THE weight
of evidence seems to favor the correct
ness of Chairman Leggeis remedy; there
is nov too much wheat in the world.
But II Mr.. Legge can so persuade the
farmers, he Is indeed q mighty man,
In words as well a. deeds,p