Henderson daily dispatch., 1934-05-01
AND THEN WHAT?
CTobacco Trade JournaD

CTobacco Trade JournaD
There are at least three phases of
the current economic situation which
require our immediate attention. These
phases may be loosely grouped as
follows: Dictation, Taxation, Confis-
cation.
Considering the first of these phases
Dictation, in it's proper place, we are
quoting once again from man who
appears to thoroughly understand the
conditions under which we are all
trying to do business. We, therefore,
quote from a recent address of S. w.
Founders Association:
Faced with the failure of their in
sane program to increase prices by
destroying crops, to increase wealth
by decreasing production, the Brain
Trust has written, and there is now
being considered by the present Con-
gress, the Bankhead Bill.
again I quote, this time from the
Texas Weekly: Believe it or not,
there is now in Congress a bill which
provides that the Secretary of Agri-
culture shall apportion to each farm
the number of bales of cotton for
which license to gin will be issued
and which also provides that any
persron who violates any provisions
of this acts shall, upon conviction, be
fined not more than $780, or impris-
oned not more than sixty days Each
bale ginned without a producers IL
cense shall be a separate offense.'
1.-The bill would make it the duty
of the Secretary of Agriculture, each
year, to ascertain the quantity of cot
ton that should be offered for sale
during the succeeding crop year
Then the Secretary shall apportion
to cotton-producing States the num-
Der of standard bales which may be
ginned in each State and the arpor-
tionment of each State shall be np-
portioned to each farmer in the State.
"A license shall be issued for each
regulations as the Secretary NAV
bale allotted land owner underr such
regulations as the Secretary NAV
make. And no farmer will be per-
mitted to have ginned a single bale
Of cotton for which he has no license.
The report that administration
leaders are supporting the bill is a
little breath-taking to Americans who
stlll think straight. according to the
old American ideas. If the eovern-
ment can control down to each nlot
or ground the production of cotton
then the government can-and newt
ably will-control all crop and live
stock production on all plots of ground
When the government does this. II
takes over ownership of the farmers
land and implements, and the farm
er himself"
Since Mr.. UtIcv spoke the foregoing
words the Bankhead bill has heer
rushed through Congress. And now
the tobacco industry is faced with q
similar act. the Kerr bill. Ultimately
we expect, even peanuts will be thus
controlled.
So we come from Just this hit NJ
D1ctation to tn econseuuence tberoof
Taxation. Taxation. in the Tobacco
business. is an old. old buoahoo NJ
spite the current promise of the House
Ways and Means Committee. throuoh
its chairman and sub-chairman Do,,
ehton and Vinson. of passing to +be
tobacco trade a horizontal reduction
In taxes. of 40 per cent. the Congress-
men themselves. and the trade. also
well knew that this was Just gestur,
of the testers.
With the increasing cost of govern
meht by Dictation. including % 600 ad
ditional Federal ernploves since las
June, plus N. R.-A. and A.. A. A. costs