The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-02
Cattle in The Gravel Pits

must be repaid and in repaying
them the farmer will spend his
last dollar. And, similarity, a
farmer who sells his cattle for
slaughter because he cannot feed
them, is forced to become parry to
the reduction program of the
AAA. For the small farmer the
AAA means penury. For the city
worker it means higher prices for
bread this year (the wheat crop is
the smallest in Al years. and ex-
orbitant prices for the cheapest
meats in a year or two.
What is the policy behind the
pure idiocy of asserting that two
million farmers must be absorbed
into other industries? Professor
Tugwell knows that industry itself
can never absorb its old workers
or the new ones coming forward.
The policy is that of subsistence
farming subsistence farming for
evicted farmers, subsistence farm
ing for unemployed miners or city
workers. In western South Dakota
a section of five hundred ten-acre
plots has already been established.
| Unemployed farmers are given a
shack to live in and told to raise
varied crops for their own needs.
If they want to go to town they are
free to ask for a permit to ride in
the government truck. In West
Virginia the same thing is being
done with the miners. A whole
village is being constructed under
The personal supervision of Mrs.
Roosevelt. And this policy is being
pushed forward everywhere. Mil
lions of workers and farmers have
no longer any function to perform
in American capitalism. The gov
eminent policy is to render them
harmless and quiscent through a
subsistence life.
What relief is the farmer receiv-
ing? In Roberts county he has
been getting ten dollars a month
feed relief provided he worked this
out in advance on government pro-
iects. For many farmers the ne
cessity of working in advance for
the feed has meant neglecting the
corn crop. They have been getting
food relief amounting to about six
cents a meal and less. And for
some time now they have been re-
ceiving cash payments for slaugh-
tered cat lie. These payments have
varied from one dollar to twenty
dollars, depending upon the age and
condition of the animal. With this
money the farmer has been sup
posed to buy feed for his other
stock. But since most of the cat.
tie is mortgaged. the farmer has
to pay this money right over to
the ien-holder.
Next month the farmer will re-
ceive government feed loans of u
cents for each sheep, three dollars
for cattle, and four dollars for g
horse. In practice much of this
money will go right over to the
lien-holder. Although the contract
officially provides for the lien
holder to waive his right Of fore
closure till January 1, 1895, the
farmer must secure that waiver tt
get the loan and before he can sc.
cure it he is forced to make a pri.
vate contract to pay over all the
money or pant of it to the lien.
holder. Furthermore this loan il
only for a month. IF the farmer
wants to renew, he must make ou'
a new application. It may not b.
granted. If it is. his debt increases
with little hope of paying it bac,
If it is not granted, it may tax,
him weeks to get back on the
county relief rolls since he is GU
off from county relief as soon a,
he receives a Federal loan.
How is the farmer reacting t,
this? What is he doing? For
n'anv of hem the baIlyhoo bubble
of the AAA has burst. eth,