Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-09-14
FARMERS BUYING
MAY BRING CRISIS
Purchasing Power Lays Be-
hind Price. Advances
in Other Lines.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

In the part 81 Washington Fhlch
newspapers frequently refer to as the
highest Official quarters" search for in
formation about the administrator
intention in respect to imitation re-
ceives no reward more Illuminating than
smiles and humorously evaSive remarks
1t is obvious the administrations pur-
pose of bringing about materially higher
prices for goods of all kinds, and espe-
cially farm crops, is furthered by ex-
psctation of imitation on the part of the
public If a sufficient number of the
buyers Of the country were confident
imitation is going to come, the mere
psychological effect would be enough to
avert the need of actual imitation. Con-
seQuently whatever the administration
may do or not do about imitation, the
mere expectation of itsis an advantage
from the point of view of the admin
astration's purpose of higher prices.
Objective Is Known.
About the objective of higher prices,
Clere is no secrecy whatever. On the
contrary the frankest sort of public and
private statement is made to the effect
that higher prices must be brought
about by one means or another. The
administrator purpose includes higher
prices for substantially every commod-
ity. At the moment there is especially
strong desire for higher prices of farm
crops.
What has happened lately is that the
prices Of manufactured goods which the
farmer buys have gone up rapidly
whereas prices of crops have not. This
increasing spread between the price
OF what the farmer sells and the price
OF what he buys is just now about the
weightiest concern the administration
has. More thinking is being done about
1t than about any other subject. APP
parently Gen. Johnson's N. r. A. and
other conditions have worked to bring
higher prices for manufactured goods
decidedly faster than the efforts of
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace to
bring about higher prices for farm
crops
Secretary Wallace's principal way of
bringing about higher prices for farm
crops is by artificial restriction Of the
quantity for sale. He has paid South
ern farmers to pillow under cotton, is
paying Western farmers to reduce their
acreage Of wheat, and is buying hogs
about to bear young in order to reduce
the quantity of pork on the market
These ways of bringing about higher
prices for farm crops do not really
greatly please the farmers and the ad-
4IAAlLot1dtlOLl lids DceIl
formed that there is again much dis
content in farm territory.
Wallace Shows Doubts.
Bringing about higher prices for farm
crops by reducing the quantity that the
farmer has for sale would leave the
farmer, when and if the higher prices
come, without large crops to sell and
therefore without opportunity to get
great advantage of the higher prices,
assuming the higher prices come Late
1y Secretary Wallace has shown some
doubt whether his method of bringing
about higher prices will succeed He
apprehends that if the present method
does not work. or is unsatisfactory to
the farmer. then imitation is likely to
come forward as the alternative way.
The hope of the administration is
70 increase the present value of the
farmers dollar by about so per cent.
The total income of farmers for the
present year 1888 is estimated to be
about $4,000 Oo0 900. The hope is to
increase this yearly income of all farm
ers to about S90000 100000.
The same situation is expressed in
different way. The purchasing power
OF the farmers dollar as conditions