The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1935-04-26

around the
National Capital
BY CARTER rIELDu

-sy CARTER -rIE1Da
Washington.-with nature moving In
70 help extinguish the cotton surplus,
a. she had already on hogs, cattle
and to a lesser extent wheat, probabili.
ues Q trouble In the future for cot
ton growers in this country are not d.
minished. but increased.
The point is that the dust storms
Y the big cotton producing areas Of
texas and Oklahoma-more than half
o.. the cotton raised In the United
states Is grown west of the Mississippi
despite the prevailing opinion to the
contrary-have already boosted the
price OF cotton. Pressure on AAA Is
expected to continue loans at around
y cents, despite the desire to drop
them gradually. All Of which means
that III price Of cotton will be main
tanned at this high level next year.
50 far, so good, but unfortunately 1t
10 Impossible for the United States to
keep such a situation secret. II this
country could only do what Russia did
q rev years back with wheat, 1t could
make a killing on cotton-perhaps-
next year.
The Russians, it may be recalled, cir.
cuiated stories that their wheat crop:
had failed, back In the days of Secre-
;tary Of Agriculture Hyde and the farm
board. The farm board began buying
wheat, and the Russians began selling.
Hyde thought they we're selling short,
and actually denounced them In public
speeches for such a n%efarious practice.
But the Russians delivered the wheat.
Whereupon the price collapsed, the
Russians having been the only wheat
farmers to get a real price for their
product, and the money for that COM
Ing out of the United States treasury.
But the whole world knows about
crops in the United States. Down in,
Brazil they know about the dust storms
that are wrecking cotton crop pros
poets west of the Mississippi. They
know about the agitation to continue
the 12-cent 1oans-which means an ar
tifcially maintained 12-cent price next
year. And they know that in Brazil
they can produce cotton at a profit at
8 cents a poundl
Big Brazilian Crop
So naturally Brazil will increase her
cotton acreage next season by every
square yard possible. This possible"
amount is far from trivial. Tremen-
dous overnight expansion Is impossible.
Of course, but Brazil's agricultural x
perts figure that only about one-tenth
OF the land capable Of producing cot.
ton-always with the 6 cents, includ-
Ing profit. In minds now under cul-
Hvati0n. So that the real problem IL
labor. But there is enough labor for
much expansion. So 1t can safely
be assumed that there win be 1 big
Increase In the next Brazilian crop.
Over in England the cotton spinning
people know about these dust storms,
and about the prospect of the United
States maintaining the 12-cent price.
Some Of their big mills have made the
change In their looms so as to spin the
Brazilian cotton. More Of them are
now expected to do SO. They will nat
urally figure they can buy Brazilian
cotton cheaper than United States cot
ton. .
Over In the Japanese puppet state
there are now 100000 acres in cot
ton. Very small SO far as world fg.
ures 60, but there also the facts about
the situation In the United States are
known, and may be expected to have
results. Similarly in Egypt and India.
All Of which point unerringly to the
probability that. throughout the world
there will be a mad rush to take ad-
vantage OF the situation. This prom
ises eventually to leave the, United
States treasury holding the bag, own
ing millions of bales Of cotton for
which It paid II cents a pound, when
the world market will be around z or
8 cents at the most, and 6 cents In all
probability. -,.
Lux Saisb 10 OuIy part VI Tic lIOuUlSs
johnson and Johnson have already an
nounced their plans for setting up cot.
ton mills in Brazil, the idea being not
only to get cheaper cotton, but to get
away from the processing tax. Prod
ucts OF this mill would be used in place
Of goods formerly exported from the
American mills Of this big firm.
Army u Stirred .
Army and navy officers are terribly
concerned over the bill just passed by
the house. and soon to be considered in
the senate, for taking the profit out of
war. They sur everyone who will
listen to them, in private, that 1t will
also take national defense out Of war,
which might be very serious indeed to
the nation In the event Of a conflict. j:
The p~acifists hall the bill as.
"a h1I1 20 Haor kho TYofkoA Ck~k~- -.A