Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-04
bill FOR WHEAT
EMBARGO PLANNED
Representative Burtness to
Ask Ban to March l, 1892,
on Legge Advice.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The Farm Boards proposal to place
an embargo on wheat will be laid before
Congress in legislative form tomorrow
by Representative Burtness, Republican,
North Dakota.
Burtness made this announcement
yesterday while Senator-elect Dickinson
of Iowa was issuing statement through
the Republican National Committee as
serting the Hawley-Smoot tariff had
more than fulfilled the promises of its
hackers by maintaining prices of Amer
lean farm produce high above world
levels and preventing the dumping of
competitors products into our markets"
At the same time the board made an
unfavorable report to the Senate Agri-
cultural Committee on the Capper pro-
posaI to use 10000, 900 bushels Of wheat
held by the board agencies for feeding
the unemployed.
The argument was made that the
board had no authority to give away
wheat, and such action would impair
its revolving fund and divert the money
"for purposes other than for which ap-
propriated."
Burtness said that, acting on Legge's
temporary embargo until March /, 1882,
on wheat, butter and butter substitutes
and the feed grains, including corn.
barley, oats, their manufactures, and
bran and bran screenings.
THE importation of all these products
is increasing, and the present tariff is
not high enough to keep them out" said
the North Dakotan.
Despite the higher tariff WALL" he
said, 1.-The complete break in market
prices is bringing in larger imports.
The procedure under the flexible pro-
vision is too long. It is like locking a
barn door after the horse is stolen.
''It Is also very doubtful whether the
Tariff Commission would find increases
justihable because the commission cam
not take into consideration abnormal
competitive conditions. Very likely the
present rates are adequate under nor
NAL conditions.
Dickinson said the farmers situa-
ton was far from satisfactory, but
that "the tariff averted an agricul-
tural catastrophe from which we would
have been years in recovering"
He quoted lower wheat prices else
where in support of his contention that
but for the tariff American prices would
have broken to the level of foreign
markets. Without the tariff he said,
wheat would have sold at IL to % cents
less than was paid In the American
market.
Embargo or Higher Tariff.
The proposal either to create an en-
barge on wheat or raise the tariff on
mill feeds and grain found the support
of Sam r. McKelvie, grain member of
the Farm Board He pointed out that
the flexible tariff law requires that cost
studies be made in those countries
whose exports threaten American mar
ketS, and said complaints had reached
the board against incoming shipments
from South Africa, Argentina and Man
churia.
At the same time Legge again denied
he had said he was opposed to an in
crease In the price of wheat, as charged
by John A. Simpson, president Of the
National Farmers Union. He termed
the suggestion ridiculous"
Regarding further charges that the
board contends the price Of wheat can
be raised and maintained at 81, Legge
said: III $50
rive did say this could be done II
suficient funds were available with
which to buy all the wheat offered from
all sources, but that a designated price
level could not be maintained unless
the sterilization corporation took al
of the wheat that was offered"
This would not be advisable, the
chairman added, because q large accu-
mutation of grain would be serious
handicap In future seasons"