Evening star., 1934-07-22

dustry IS for the moment unable or
unwilling TO do. in providing them an
opportunity 20 work
Many generations OF mountain peo-
pie whose land alone refused 20 re-
turn them a living. even as some
land in normally good farm regions is
nov refusing to return a living. have
won themselves q fair cash income by
Notwithstanding rugs and quilts,
baskets. pottery and furniture "Op-
portunity shops were set up in New
England In the past decade where
previously unemployed men and wom-
en- learned crafts and we're afforded
use Of tools and machines until able
to open their own shops A farmer
who went out to buy a cedar chest
and baked at the price decided he
could make one himself Then he
began making them for others. Now
he employs 10 men, 81 Of whom live
on farms An automobile factory
hand. laid of. learned in one Of the
opportunity shops how to make a
step on which child could climb to
a comfortable position before o wash
bowl. Now this ex-factory hand is
operating his own shop and hiring
other workers.
Handiwork in Europe.
American merchants send buyers
every year to the old countries,
where, in cooperative warehouses.
handiwork of many thousands Of
farm homes is assembled. Our
money is poured into such a market
for toys at Hamburg and such a mar
ket for rugs at Warsaw. We may
see the day when the wheat farmer
who has lost his foreign market will
make II up by taking some American
markets that have until now been
dominated by foreign craftsmanship
There is no fundamental difference
in the blood of the plainsmen and
that of the mountaineer that would
inhibit the plainsman from gaining
pleasure and cultural development,
as well as cash, from handicrafts
Many farmers on good land are now
forced TO a supplementary vocation,
as the mountaineer was forced from
the start.
For the moment. highways are the
major projects by which the Relief
Administration is furnishing work in
the drought area. Other projects are
necessarily developing more slowly.
In 25l drought counties from which
reports were received early this Sum-
mer an average of 81 workers per coun-
ty were employed on the Relief Ad-
ministration'S road program. Commu-
nifty projects are also being initiated,
such as siloS, forage storage. cold Gel
lars, repairs to public buildings and
homes of relief families, food preser-
vation plants, lime plants and air.
ports.
None of these projects are limited
to drought areas. They are being
pushed fastest where the need is
greatest, and for the moment, the
need Of the drought areas is most
acute. The above projects are out
lined here as among the varied
means by which the doughboys on
the battlefront of drought are being
enabled TO earn In honest, self-re-
specting labor at least part of the
cash which will be required to sus-
tain them during the months, and
perhaps the years, before better
weather and progress of agricultures
new deal shall have justified the
faith and courage that is making
them stick it out
But while these work projects are
getting underway, actual feeding of
people and live stock is the job that
is keeping relief administrations up
at night. All the people will be fed,
but not all of the cattle.
Eighty-three thousand farms had
been relieved of their surplus cattle
the middle Of July, when Federal pur-
chases had passed a million head
Twelve head per farm was the aver
age purchase, about one third of the
average herd. Most of the cattle
bought were shipped direct to canning
plants, where they were processed for
use of the Relief Administration.
More than 100000 cattle bought by
the Government in the drought area
we're ordered moved to Southern
States where they are being fattened,
preliminary to canning for relief pur-
poses.
Other Drought Effects.
Droughts less severe than this have
often swept the ranges clean, wiping
out even the foundation herds and fore
ing homesteaders to struggle upward
again from nothing. Now that ranch
man and farmer have been eased of
the surplus of cattle through Federal
purchase, they can be supplied with
feed enough to maintain a reasonable
foundation herd. And in order that
the owner himself may get the benefit,
the man who holds mortgage on the
cattle is required TO extend the time
of the loan for three years. The Gov
ernment has no intention of feeding
cattle until they are fit for market.
then having the mortgage holder cash
them in and leave nothing-eXcept
possibly a deficiency judgment-for
the farmer or rancher. Seed is being
supplied by the relief agency Sufi-
clent to plant an acreage that will
support the reduced herds, when and
If the rains come.
Just how long it will take to get
pastures and feed supplies back TO
normal, even with normal rainfall, is
something which the Department of
Agriculture declines to estimate. A
June statement from the department
says: The average conditions of pas
lures and of some early crops are SO
much below any previous records for
this early date that 1t is difficult to
make comparisons or to forecast re-
suits Some of the States show pas
turs conditions lower than any State
has previously reported during the 40
years for which comparable condi-
ton reports have been obtained.
For feeding the determined bands
of farmers and ranchers the State ad-
minlStrauons are allotting a ration
about like this; For the average case
-four perSonsl a monthly allowance
of 49 pounds -four, II pounds pork.
4 pounds lard, pounds butter,
pounds cereal.
Study over that ration a bit. and
think whether 1t is entiCing enough
to keep the family out there fighting
in the dust, If there were not some
other more impelling urge, something
that's inexphcably mixed with the
hlN@2 ,4 ~n