Evening star., 1933-10-17

Study of the campaign of the Gov
ernment to improve market conditions
by purchase Of hogs has resulted in
some skepticjsm as to the results. It is
observed that fewer sows were delivered
than the promoters of the plan had ex-
pected, with resulting prospects Of main
tanned production, while in the carry
ing out Of the whole campaign there
was, it Is charged, lack OF adequate CO.
operation.
"The Government was merely doing
for the pig industry what the weather
did to the wheat and corn Industries,
says the San Jose Mercury Herald. with
recognition of the fact that while some
persons had protested against waste,
"there were more hogs than the market
could absorb at price compensating the
farmers for their labor" Adding that
ito save the hogs was to waste farm
labor" the Mercury Herald contends:
Nor was the waste confined to farm
labor. The agricultural population be-
ing unable to buy machinery, automo-
biles. furniture and other articles need
ed, the factories making them had to
close down, thereby wasting the labor OF
their employees The depression Is the
result of the accumulated wastes. In
projecting its food destruction pro-
gram, the Government was thinking OF
this angle of the problem. To prevent
the waste of labor in agriculture was TO
prevent the waste Of it in manufactur-
ing industries Assuming the value OF
the food destroyed was less than the
value of the labor conserved, the trans
action would show o profit. The mean
inr of the program Is that the funda-
mental waste problem in our indus
trial order is balancing supply and de-
mand in all industries. Because the
war threw them out Of balance in all
countries, we are suffering an unprece-
dented depression"
Noting the deficiency in the delivery
of sows under the Government program,
the Indianapolis News comments: the
Government could not force farmers to
bring in the sows, but relied on their
co-operative spirit. The response OF
the farmer was to keep the sows. He
felt that the destruction of pigs would
strengthen the market early next year
and wished to be prepared to make the
most Of It. His failure to cooperate
thus undermined the plan to con.
siderable extent. The Department OF
Agriculture now knows that the short
corn crop did as much as anything else
to force the pigs on the market, aof
ul8Oy IaTulcIC CVuAu INV 0AASAA ASSN.
$50 long as the entire distribution
system was out Of kilter," thinks the
Des Moines Register, land heavy market
receipts were only adding to the supply
of finished meats which could not be
sold, the only hope was to adopt some
such temporary expedient a. was
actually called into play, with the OBJ
ject Of relieving the trade jam and
restoring the normal low Of normal
quantities Of meat into consumptive
channels. While the result Is not yet
clearly readable, We may hope that the
aim of the emergency program Is
already on the road toward achieve
ment. Hog prices rose rapidly. even
while the Government purchases were
inducing abnormal shipments. Two or
three months from now the conse-
d1ence Of taking SIX million head OF
hogs out Of the Winter market may be
markedly visible. That, and not the
present, is the proper time to Judge
the efficacy of the purchasing plan. :"
Observing that the administration lis
wisely trying to experiment in new de-
viations from the old grooves OF eco
nomic philosophy" the Charlotte OBJ
server offers the judgment that ut may
succeed or 1t may not, but, at best,
whatever its omplishments, only o
temporary virtue will attach to them"
The Observer continues: Property
and balanced business and profitable
production will come to stay only when
that condition Of social and economic