Evening star., 1933-06-11

to grow cotton for q year and still be
able to supply the demand. Tobacco
stocks are large the present total supply
Of hurley, for example. is equivalent to
about three years disappearance, where
as the usual relationship is for supply
to be only about twice as large as dis
appearance.
Hogs are in a bad situation because
of the swift shrinkage Of the foreign pork
and lard market, notably in Germany.
There is likelihood of an increase in total
pounds being offered for market here in
the United States in spite Of a decrease
in numbers Of pigs farrowed in the
last year because of the unusually large
corn crop last Fall. Present demand
here and abroad would not return a rea-
sonable price to the farmer unless the
quantity offered for market should be
reduced by about one-fifth. It is true
that heavy supplies are being absorbed
by the home market, but only at dis
astrously low figure. The surplus here
is just as real as If it were huge ac-
cumulation of stocks.
In dairy products we are very near to
spilling over into exports. If this hap
pened we should be in merciless competi.
ton with New Zealand, Denmark and
other countries.
IF our foreign trade could be revived
immediately by negotiating reciprocal
tariffs and making intergovernment debt
adjustments there might be some chance
for American farmers to escape the re-
duction Of production. Reciprocal agree
ments are contemplated by the admin
istration. But any such process win
necessarily take time. Agriculture, in q
desperate condition, can't wait. More
over, merely wiping out trade restric-
tions would not Immediately, il ever, take
out of production the many acres Of
farm land which have been pushed into
cultivation in Europe during the last
few years.
The job, therefore, Is to 30 adjust
production in these basic commodities as
to restore working balance between
production and consumption. This Is
not to say that the United States should
withdraw entirely from the foreign mar
ket; it is merely to say we must adjust
to q new situation. OF course, under
present restricted conditions, such ball
ancing, except in the case Of cotton,
would bring US down considerably closer
to straight domestic consumption basis.
The new farm act recognizes this neces-
sity, but also leaves the method of oper-
alton flexible, so that in case foreign
demand does pick up farmers can re-
adjust production in the same production
without endangering parity price on the
domestic quantity which the act Is
primarily designed to protect.
Agriculture cannot longer 60 on Inn
poverishing her soil and keeping her cit
izens busy at raising unstable excesses
which the world will not and cannot
take except at starvation prices. Ex-
cess production is type of waste fully
as bad, from social and economic
standpoint, as idleness among city work
ers. Overemploymentt to produce an ex-
cess that beats down the price Of the
total supply Is the opposite Of underem-
ployment which fails to produce enough
but both are forms of economic waste.
II we are to approach a parity price
for agricultural products is, sell at
a price level which holds the pre-war
relationship with things farmers buy
we must retire around 100000 surplus
acres from the raising Of major cash
crops.
Farmers cannot do the job unaided. It
Is too late. It is a job that has been
accumulating for II years. It Is task
in which the community should feel q
serious responsibility. Social forces
caused the difficulty; social influences
,,n.,sf helm tn rAnair the errOr