The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1933-09-08
has just put the cart before the


When the workers are all en-
ployed at good wages, eating and
dressing as they should, they con-
sumo the farmers wheat, his meat
and cotton; there is a market for
them then. In such times there are
no bread or soup lines, so the
farmer gets $1.50 for his wheat
and he, too, is prosperous. But
when the workers starve, when
they can't eat his wheat or meat,
or wear his cotton and wool, the
wheat and cotton ard wool pile up
in a surplus, breaks the market
and the farmer at the same time.
Just raising the price of wheat,
without providing work and wages
for the worker, will not bring back
prosperity; it never, never will.
Mr.. LOdahl accepts the crop re-
duction policy and also the sur
plus theory, as remedy for the
farmers. but he points out the
i contradictions and inequalities of
the law itself in its application. He
suggests that the scheme which
he advanced some time ago would
be better; a proposal to have Uncle
Sam buy all of the submarginal
(poor and non-productive) wheat
land and take it out of production,
leaving only the good land in pro-
duction and thus reduce the acre
age, and the amount of wheat
raised, thus wiping out the so
called surplus, and raising the
price. Mr.. Lodahl's scheme also
is based upon the surplus theory,
which we deny.
But this very plan is included
in the Agricultural Adjustment
Act, in theory, though Uncle Sam
does not propose to buy the land.
He proposes to lease it from the
owners-who? the mortgage bar k
ers who have foreclosed it-and
take it out of production. And II
either case, what does it mean?
If the lands are bought by the
government, the mortgage holders
would get the money invested fol
the land is mortgaged for more
than it is worth; and at the same
time get rid of paying taxes
Uncle Sam would not pay taxes
on this land, he would make &
hunting ground out of them fol
the rich, or a sheep pasture, fol
the rich sheepmen. ALI of the lanC
| is bonded for school districts
township, village and state debts
How would these bonds and inter
est be paid? They would not b.
unless Uncle Sam took over thes,
bonds, and paid the interest, which
would no doubt be done. SO, again
: the bankers would be taken car,
s of-they always are, for this is ;
bankers government. In a bank
!. ers government only the rich ar
~ taken care of, the poor are left t
,starve-the way they are here il
the United States.
. In case of leasing as the Agri
: culture Adjustment Act provides
for, if the President sees fit t
do-and he will as soon as tn
I farmers sign up the allotment con
tracts, that has to be done first
the government pays rent on tn
: land to the owners, the bankers
= sufficient to pay enough taxes
pay interest and bonds, plus
"fair" return on the money tn
bankers have invested in the lane
In this way the bondholders &c
their money and the landowner
J are provided an income on thei
a investment without raising any
thing; the money. to pay the rer
7 will come from the amount avail
J able for bonus reducing by jus
that amount, 80 cents per bush'
allotment tax.
a And Mr.. Lodahl, in case of pwl
: chase outright or leasing as IL
act proposes, what is going to b,
come of the 100000 farmers no
living on these lands? Mind va
there is surplus in everythin
now grown, all caused by the san
thing, unemployment and inabilii
= of workers and their families
! consume. Remember these land
pnuet on ont of nroduc+;o-7~ =,