Evening star., 1931-11-25
Assailants of Farm Board
Face Defenders i'm Debate

Attacks on the Federal Farm Board
by members Of both political parties
have aroused the country to . general
debate on the value of this Govern
ment agency. Special attention has
been given TO the statement by Rep.
reSentative Beck Of Pennsylvania that
the board Is dead. Attackers charge
that 1t enters into competition with
operations failed to achieve their oh.
jective, while defense Of the board is
based on its support Of co-operatives
and its other forms Of aid to farmers.
Amendment Of the oct creating the
board may be the desire Of q majority
Of the farmers" says the st. Paul
Pioneer Press, "but IL Is amendment
by the friends and not the enemies Of
Government aid to agriculture that is
desired" That paper advises that the
farmers should be careful to see that
better and not for the worse" and
that "if agriculture has any criticism
of the farm marketing act, it Is because
that law IL too limited In its scope" ."
IF the board Is abolished" asks the
Rochester Times-Union, what will
take its placer" The Times Union
adds: "It is well to remember that
the Farm Board was substitute for
schemes which would have cost the
Treasury still more. Efforts by the
board to sustain wheat and cotton
prices proved costly failure. But no
agency set up to defend the interests
Of primary producers could be ex-
pected to make much of a showing
during period when raw material
prices throughout the world fell to
levels representing the lowest buying
power ever recorded for such products" F"
'It has been the main task of the
board" according to the Lexington
Leader, ito promote cooperation. In
handled in 1880 by co-operatives. In
the same way, 196, ,o00, 900 bushels of
grain were marketed or held, $50, ,000,-
900 pounds Of wool and mohair, and
100000 head of live stock. A study
of 192 associations of importance shows
that since the board began its work
there has been an increase Of member
ship Of 80 per cent, and an increase Of
nearly 20 per cent In volume Of goods
handed. But the further fact is that
whereas the board has loaned $780,
000,00 to co-operatives, these organi-
cations have repaid In short time
pltU,VUU,UUO OL LklC IOdIAo. Lie DOnAd o
revolving fund Is revolving. 1G educa-
tional work is going forward success
fully"
while the wheat market continued
to 60 down despite great purchases Of
the Farm Board last year." says the
Roanoke World-News, "the decline
seems to have been halted" The
World-News offers the general conclu-
sions: 1.-The extent of the Farm Boards
holdings and the degree to which It
has become involved In the grain
care should be exercised in reaching a
decision as to Ito future, II any. If the
point has been reached where dis
solution Of the board will not be felt
unfavorably by agriculture, then It
should be mustered out of service. If
there is still possibility that it can be
of service, Congress ought to examine
the facts very carefully before IL acts.
Much damage might be done by an ILL
advised move at this critical moment"
Declaring. that ut would be unfortu-
nate for the American farmer were
CONGRESSMAN Becks announcement of
the death Of the Farm Board to be
proved true" the Philadelphia Evening
Bulletin argues that 1T was created
with purposes important for the greater
prosperity Of the farmer, and it has
functioned in fuldllment of those pur-
poses and deserves to be continued TO
those same ends" The Bulletin adds
that 1T was instructed and equipped
for the announcement and promotion
Of efficient cooperative marketing, for
the checking of inefficient and waste
full practices and methods of dlstribu-
tion. for the Ghthering and distribution
of essential %hformation as to crop
markets and conditions Of supply and