Evening star., 1933-10-29
Robots Ciue Checks for acreage Reduction
Unexpected but Much-Needed Durability
Heavier and Thicker
Paper Required, so Spe-,
ciaL Kind Vas Made.
Farmers Receive
Payments Totaling
$00,94l,772.

A N unexpected circumstance has
~ given to checks sent farmers
~ In the Governments drive to
reduce cotton acreage a dura-
bility they needed. but which
was not anticipated
Farmers in 18 cotton-growing States
have already received $99 ,941 ,772. 81
from the Agricultural Adjustment Ad-
ministration. A total Of 945,OO6 checks
have been mailed out. and more are
now in the making.
In order to perform the huge task
of writing nearly million checks, .
battery of robot paymasters" (that do
everything but cash the checks) was
installed at the Agriculture Department.
These machines are operated by per-
forated cards. the perforations operat-
ing the printing so that IN q single
process the checks are dated, the
amount put both in figures and spelled
out, the pa:-ees name Is filled IN, ana
companion machine signs the paper.
Thicker Paper Made.
To operate the machine, ordinary
paper lacked thickness and new spe-
cial spruce pulp paper, much heavier
and thicker than that usually used by
the Government was made. The paper
is lighter than cardboard and Is flexi-
BILE, but its durability is much greater
than that of other Federal checks.
It was not until the cotton farmers
began cashing the paper, or rather be-
gan circulating it, that its unexpected
merit was discovered. Some OF the
checks returned to the Treasury De-
partment have born as many as eight
Endorsements, a larger number has
, shown six signatures, and officials yes
terday observed that big proportion
of them bore at least two Endorsements
before the check reached bank and
started its return trip to washington.
Just how far such an exchange has
carried the retirement Of credit in the
18 States affected, no one would dare
estimate, but it Is fair to assume that
more than one person in nearly every
case received some benefit toward the
settlement Of an account or the pur-
chase of some new possession.
Payments Average $1o5.7s.
II was pointed out that II Is possible
q check made to q single payee, and
bearing his and, for example. five other
signatures, may have been used by all
six either in the retirement OF credit
or the purchase of some new article
before it was finally either cashed or
deposited.
The payments to the farmers so far
have averaged approximately $l05.7o.
chief of the cotton production section
Of the A. A. A., has gone to the actual
growers Of cotton. or, as he expressed
It. to the man between the pillow handles
when the cotton was plowed under.
In accepting the cotton reduction
contracts, the administration took into
consideration the fact that the South
has, in the main, three classes OF cotton
growers: The large plantation owner
who operates by hiring day labor the
renter who pays cash for the use OF the
land; and. the big majority. the share
cropper who does all the work and pays
his land rent by portion Of the yield.
Each application was checked to de-
termine the relation OF the applicant to
the crop, and in cases where two or
more persons had a direct interest In
the cotton. such as landlord and share
cropper. both men were made payees on
the check. In some cases, the owner
Of the land had so many croppers on
his plantation there was barely room
for the signatures on the face of the
check, and in a few cases the list was
so long trustee was appointed to ne
gotiate the check.
Widespread Benefit Indicated.
Just how far this money has gone
toward the stimulation of business In
the South cannot now be determined
Scattered reports, however. indicate q
widespread series Of direct benefit to
industry. Mail order houses have re-
ported pickup in the South, Memphis
retail stores point to an increase, Hous-
ton, Galveston and Beaumont also re-
! ported better retail business in Texas
similar reports have come from Missis-
sippi, and from South Carolina the
department received the report, Share
croppers and little growers haven't had
so much money in years.
Altogether 1890, 900 contracts were
signed representing 100000 acres Of
cotton land plowed under and rented
by the Government Translated into
bales of cotton, it means reduction in
the A. A. A. has paid all the rental
checks Sill .00o.o 900 will have been sent
into the South plus options on 2.400,-
600 bales Of GoVernment-owned cotton
on which price of s cents has been
set arbitrarily
Farmers who preferred the options
are prohibited from calling them before
toE ecgD Eeaehes M cents t G snee sis the option
plan was inaugurated the A A. A. has
decided to make loans against cotton
in the present crop Of 10 cents per
pound. Now, it appears. the South has
A~.- L.
difference between the Scent options
and the 10-cent loans, which will mean
roughly an additional S48 900 900. This
plan has not been approved, but South
ern members Of Congress, headed by
Senator Smith Of South Carolina and
Senator Bankhead Of Alabama. are urH-
ministrator Peek to allow Il. farmers
to hypothecate their options at s cents
and borrow the difference of 1 cents
from the Government.
Charge Against Growers Answered.
The Farm Administration is defend
ing the cotton growers against the
charge they have acted to defeat the
reduction plan by intensive cultivation
81 poad sas Under n as' e rental Ct al saSR cS
The charge has been made that many
Of them used the money obtained from
the Government for fertilizer to in
crease their remaining yield.
The answer at the Agriculture DE-
partment Is that the crop this year
would have reached 17.2o0.ooo bales II
the reduction program had not been
carried out; that the average yield per
acre of the present crop will be 205
pounds to the acre. the largest since
1898, except for the year 1914. when
the average was 200 pounds. It would
have been the third largest crop in
history. But. the explanation is that
the huge yield per acre is coming
chiefly from the Southwest, an area
where fertilizer is not used, and where
ideal growing conditions have prevailed
since the planting season.
The first check in the present cam