Evening star., 1932-12-08
ALLOTMENT PLAN
NEWEST FARM PLEA
Controls Production Without
Cost to Public Says One
of 0riginators.
BY ARMsTEAD W. GILL1AM.s

What are the Democrats going to dc
about farm relief?
The answer to this question is mex
tricably interlocked, in the opinion OF
those close to the Democratic leader
ship with the words "the voluntary
domestic allotment plan of farm relief. y
Mere words to most people-in fact
little understood at present by a large
number of the Democrats who will come
to washington to deal with the prob
lens of the Nation after President -elect
Franklin D. Roosevelt assumes the
helm of the ship of state-nevertheless
those who understand them predict that
there will be millions of words written
and countless thousands said, both in
Congress and in public gatherings be-
fore the Democratic farm relief plan is
evolved.
So closely interviewer with the Demo-
cratic legislative program is the farm
allotment plan" that when one asks a
Democrat these days just what the
party that Is to assume power March
is to do for the harassed farmers, the
first answer Is:
We'll, there's the voluntary domestic
allotment plan"
To find out just what the plan is, it
was necessary to go to L. M. Wilson,
professor of agricultural economics at
Montana State College, one of the par
ents of the plan as it has evolved after
years of study. 1t was first proposed
by the late Walter j. Spillman, former
chief of the Office of farm management
of the Department Of Agricultural, and
later modified through studies by John
D. Black, professor of agricultural eco
nonics at Harvard, and through sugges-
tions by farm leaders In many parts of
the country.
Prof. Wilson further modified the
plan in conferences with leaders In
As Is stands today, in the form of leg
islation to be acted upon by Congress,
it doyetails perfectly with the six-point
agriculture relief program proposed by
Gov. Roosevelt in his campaign speech
at Topeka, Kansas, September IA.
To Create Balance.
"The voluntary domestic allotment
plan of farm relief" said Prof. Wilson,
sin its larger aspect, is designed to
create a balance between agriculture
and national economy.
1T is not offered as a panacea for all
the ills of agriculture. 1t is not sub
stitute for the re-establishment OF our
world agricultural markets, but when
we face the situation fairly, it will do
more toward providing fair prices; in
slIring production readjustments and re-
establishing farm purchasing power
than any other farm relief plan yet pro-
posed.
''It is designed also to increase the
income of the farmers, but not to in-
crease their production-it is not to be
construed as form of dumping ex-
portable surpluses on foreign countries
and it is most definitely not designed to
create further bureaucracy in govern
ment.
ut is best to illustrate the plan with
an analysis of the Democratic relief
program as outlined by Gov. Roosevelt.
"The first point in the Roosevelt pro-
gram Is as follows:
The plan must provide for the pro-
ducer of staple surplus commodities,
such as wheat, cotton, corn Gin the form
of hogs) and tobacco, a tariff benefit
over world prices which Is equivalent to
the benefit given by the tariff to indus.
trial products. This differential benefit
must be SO applied that the increase in
farm income, purchasing and debt-pay-
ing power win not stimulate further
production"
Prof. Wilson explains that under the
plan he proposes each producer Of
staple surplus would have the right
to receive, in addition to the world
level price, an additional benefit pay
ment on that part of his production
produced for domestic sale He would
only receive this payment. however, if
he agreed to adjust his production as
decided upon by the administrative
agency, after consulting the wishes of
the farmers Production allotments to
each producer would be made after
study of domestic consumption and
prospective production.
Gov Roosevelt's second point is:
1.-The plan must finance itself"
To that Prof. Wilson answers that
under the voluntary farm allotment
plan" no new Government appropria-
ton is necessary and there is no ad-
ditiona1 expense to the Treasury.
Must Avoid Strife.
The third point In the Roosevelt
program is:
1T must not make use of any mech
anism which would cause European
customers to retaliate on the grounds
of dumping"
Prof. Wilson says no export dump
ing is involved in the plan-that its