Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-02
Rejection of Wheat Buying
Opens New Farm Discussion

received fair warning, and other agr1-
cultural producers also should heed the
lesson" The Salt Lake Deseret News
advises that "as organizations are pers
fected and the subject OF production
studied from all angles, reasonably
safe basis Of production Of staple crops
can be reached"
According to estimates by the Ma.
tonal Department of Agriculture"
argues the Atlanta Journal, upward Of
AZ, 000,000 acres were Sown to Winter
wheat last Autumn. That Is q decrease
Of only one and one-tenth per cent I'M.
der the acreage Of the parallel season
of 1929 and only one and fcJIr-tenths
per cent under the average of the flve
years preceding. Among the States
which grow Winter wheat, Nebraska
and Colorado alone showed more than
q 10 per cent reduction, while Missouri
and Washington showed more than q
10 per cent expansion As Winter
wheat constitutes from 10 to rs per cent
Of this country's entire crop, the Spring
sowing must be markedly restricted If
there is to be a noteworthy lessening Of
the acreage for 1930-1o31. This does
not now appear likely"
"a dispatch from Kansas" quotes the
Baltimore Sun, in discussing q talk By
Chairman Stone Of the Farm Board,
says: He indicated that the board
might make some sales If paintings
wise, might hold its wheat for an in
definite period This would seem to be
just about the perfect technique to de.
feat the Farm Boards effort to secure
reduction Of wheat acreage. It IL
equivalent to saying that If the farm
ers reduce paintings, In an effort to
limit the supply and get higher prices,
the Farm Board will be ready to offset
any advantage they might get by filling
the gap from its wheat holdings"
mo gesture like the debenture plan
viii serve for a moment" maintains the
Houston Chronicle, at the same time
finding that ''the weakness in the pres
ent farm plan is that 1t fails to counter
balance the power Of the board to con.
to penalize overproduction." The Port.
land Oregon Journal concludes that,
"the Government having been no help
and the Farm Board being just now q
detriment, it will be up to Pacific
Northwest wheat growers to see what
they can do for themselves"
Doubts as to the efficacy of any Gov
eminent pressure on the problem Of
supply and demand are expressed by
the Lynchburg News and the Charlotte
News.
1T is reasonably certain" AYERS the
Charleston IS. c. Evening Post, that
the price of staple commodities is grad
ually being brought down to lower
levels, by reason Of improved methods
of production, and to that condition the
world will have to address itself.
The export debenture plan,
which was supported so stoutly by the
farming interests until Mr.. Hoover
for his Farm Board, had at least the
merit Of being an artificial balance for
an artificial weight. The high tariff on
importation of wheat Is compensated
for, In measure, by the export bounty.
The two tend toward an equilibrium,
but both are unSound economically. The
wheat market will have to take care of
itself as other markets must"
Diversification Is upheld by the Sioux
Falls Daily Argus-LeadeT and the Chat
tanooga Times, while the Flint Daily
Journal finds some merit in q sugges-
ton for syndicate farming" The
possibility of the revival of McNary-
Haugen remedies is suggested by the
South Bend Tribune, the Omaha World
Herald, the st. Louis Dispatch
and the GAINESVILLE Gazette.
Protesting against the action Of the
Farm Board, the st. Louis Pioneer
Press argues: 1.-THE Federal Farm Board
should certainly reconsider the neceS-
sity for pulling out the crop which tt
has kept under the wheat market for
the past year and half. If this an
Is intended as nothing
more than q warning to Spring wheat
planters that the future is not assured,
and that all who can should get out of
wheat and get out quickly, there is no
great criticism to be offered against it.
Wheat Is a sick industry, and, as mat
ters stand, substantial reduction of
the 1881 yield is imperative. But even
the prospect of considerable loss to the
Federal Farm Board on its large hold
ings OF grain cannot justify any desper-
ate action that might result In severe
economic setback over o large section
Of the country Just at q moment when
every possible factor of business re-
coVery should be conserved"