, 1935-04-26
WASHINGTON
RY George Durn0

WASHINGTON
BY George Durno
Dilemma New Deal economists
and politicians r scratching bald
spots clear through their mortar
boards and derbies trying to figure
out a solution 70 this cotton pro-
BEN.
Between the growers who want
higher prices, the manufacturers
who want lower prices and the ex-
porters who see their world lar
ketS slipping away, the Roosevelt
administration Is being damned II
1t does and damned If 1t doesn't.
The New Dealers prayerfully have
taken a hitch in their belts and
struck out toward a middle road.
They anticipate criticism from both
sides of the central lane but they
hope to arrive at fairly permanent
adjustment OF prices and pIoduc-
ton
CurtaiI-This Is a large order. as
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace
viii concede. The latter's advisers
are convinced the world is at an
other of those periodic agricultural
crossroads where nations lose their
overwhelming dominance in given
crops.
Sentiment among government ex-
pertS favorS a continuation OF the
crop curtailment program until our
annual surplus carry-over gets down
To 100000 bales. Thereafter prices
may be more or less stabilized in the
neighborhood Of y 70 IA cents a
pound with the grower educated
! against future over-production.
How this will strike the mill own
ers who are screaming for abolition
o. the processing tax so they may
have lower prices. is something else
again.
Excess-The Roosevelt agricultur-
al and commercial specialists feel
that the Hoover administration left
them a very our dish sc far as
cotton is concerned.
Secretary OF Commerce Roper
points out that Mr.. Roosevelt step
ped into office TO find over l5,000.-
90 bales of cotton on his hands
which had been bought with federal
funds by the Hoover Sterilization
Board.
AS a result of blowing under, pro-
cess taxing and drought, this sur
plus has been cut TO less than TO-
0OO.OO0 bales but it still is way too
high. The world crop for l934-35
will run around %, 700. 900 bales with
the United States again furnishing
about IN 90
Helpful American capital IS
going into Brazilian cotton ginning
in rather brisk fashion.
Cotton manufacturers tell Dep
artment of Agriculture men further
that they can buy Brazilian cotton
cheaper than the domestic product.
Inquiry among these manufacturers
fails TO reveal any who are-save
for a few hundred bales all told.
The American cotton professor
hesitates TO buy foreign cotton for
fear it may not make up into cloth
that will equal the homegrown
product. Nevertheless il Is a fact
that cotton now Furnishing in
southern Brazil came from selected
American seed.
Harriers-While the utilities in
terestS have been applying pressure
70 defeat the pending adminiStra-
ton bill which would write holding
companies off the boards within five
years the home team hasn't been
overlooking its turn at bat.
The other day utility representa-
tives appearing before the Senate
Finance Committee in opposition TO
the proposal kept finding them
selves confounded with embarrass-
ing questions.
The answer: At least half a dozen
OF the more interested New Dealers
were in the committee room. Every
time a witness was in the midst Of
getting Owe a good point, n Of the
aominiStrationites would slip a PEN
ciled question TO one OF the presid-
ine senator's. Most of them were
rather embarrassing.
YOuth-Republicans are Of divid-
ed opinion regarding the regional
meetings that are intended TO de-
velop a party program. Some Of the
DNSN Oh dkCHAol9 GAAA4AA GACoC nACCk-
ingS will develop discord instead OF
harmony. Different regions favor
different methods and different
candidates. They don't agree upon
issues. These s~trategists contend
that rivalrieS over candidates. will
confuse party councils.
with the democrats fighting
among themselves. why should re-
publicans start a row in their own
fsmily?" is the way one of the "old
boys" puts it. Let the opposing
army tear itself TO pieces. We can't
sit down and invent iSsueS-they
make themselves"
Young republicans generally ia
vor the regional meetings. They in
slst that the party Is rapidly recov-
ering and that its younger element
wants action. Out of these meetings
they believe a party program will
evolve. and perhaps a leader may