White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1935-09-19
POTATO CONTROL

POTATO CONTROL
One of the laws passed by Congress at the past
session provides for the control Of production and
sale of potatoes, to be administered by the AAA
great deal of criticism has been aroused against
this measure that it is law, and one writer
says that this may be the rock which the entire
farm program Of the administration breaks up.
Both farmers and consumers, it is said are voic-
ing bitter resentment against the prospective reg
imentaton of the industry. And even the enforce
ment agents, it is reported, are doubtful if they
can work out the schedules called for in the mea-
sure.
Last spring, in the issue of March z, the Spokes-
man published an article on the proposed potato
control act. At that time the Pacific Coast Packer
was devoting considerable space to the proposed
measure, and letters pouring into that paper from
all over the country generally showed that the po-
tato growers believed the measure to be for the
welfare of the industry. There was some dissen-
ton to the measure, but in the main it was re-
garded as being worthwhile STEP
The bill was drawn up by Congressman Warren
of North Carolina and Congressman Brewster of
Maine and was framed upon resolution drawn
up at meeting of potato growers
Under the terms of the bill, there would be no
processing tax benefit payments, but there
would be established national sales quota for
potatoes While the schedules are somewhat COM
plicated, each state would receive sales base
from which it's quota would be established This
would be arrived at by taking the average produc-
ton during the three peak years of the period
1928, and multiplying this figure by the per-
centage of the crop sold by the state on the
ket for the fveyear average, 192933. In this way,
states whose crops had been damaged by drought
or pest infestations in certain years could take
only the years in which production was more
nearly normal.
Under this program, each state would have it's
&c +o
make allot1nents to the growers within the state.
A grower would be allotted certain production
maximum, in line with his past production, and
all potatoes under this maximum figure would be
sold tax exempt, while if he put in extra acreage
produced larger yield than expected, he would
pay three quarters of cent tax on each pound
over the maximum.
While any system of crop reduction is dislized
by growers and consumers both, most prominent
agriculturists believe that some permanent, fex-
ible system OF production control is necessary to
the welfare of the grower.
In formulating this plan of potato control, it
agreed by most that it had eliminated the
most Hagrant evils OF other systems, and should
be of benefit to the producer.
Here in this county we have seen the value of
orderly marketing of potatoes. Last year, when
the outlook for early spuds was very gloomy,
potato code adopted in this and several adoin-
ing counties, and all spuds marketed from this
district tagged by the code committee and
shipped as the demand justified. AS result
every grower in this district received better price
than he otherwise would have, without causing
any hardship to the consumer.
The past few seasons have been poor ones for
the potato grower, and any means which can bring
the spud prices up to- parity without causing
hardship on the consumer should be worthy of
trial.