Evening star., 1935-05-22
BY GEORGE E. sOKOLsKY.

that market the United States has
held a dominant position during the
whole course of the machine age. Dur
ing recent years Of economic nation
alism, high tariffs, artificial exchange
stabilization. etc, the export Of cotton.
as of all commodities. lessened. but
the American producer still held the
market.
Then the A. A. A. came along and
wiped out every advantage that the
devalued dollar gave the American
cotton farmer. He lost the market
for so per cent of his product. first
because he had no cotton to export
and, secondly, because his price, due
to processing, was altogether out OF
line with world prices.
Other Nations Grow Cotton.
The excuse offered by the professors
| is that no market for cotton exists
during this year Of depression. Yet
| the fact remains that in l934-5
Brazil will produce 1851 900 bales OF
cotton, as compared with a normal
production of about 400 900 bales. In
word, the Brazilians are throwing
an additional million bales on the
market which they are confident
exists. Egypt and India are increas-
ing cotton production, while Soviet
Russia Is developing a new cotton
region in Kazakistan.
What the professors apparently for
got when they made A. A. A. plans
was that when the quantity of cotton
produced is reduced, large number
Of human beings are thrown out of
work. The share-cropper. who has
now become the representative type of
the American diSpossessed, finds that
the A. A. A. program leaves him with
out the means of earning a living.
The colored cotton picker has been
thrown on relief almost entirely. Gin
workers, packers. transportation work.
ers and thousands of others have been
thrown out of employment.
Southern States have very few pay
crops-cotton. sugar, lumber and truck
| gardening. All have been processed
and controlled and rigidities have been
imposed upon marketing until the
Southern farmer, Landowner, share
cropper, agricultural worker, country
banker and storekeeper each finds
himself in distress.
Embittered Individual.
He is an embittered individual. The
power Of Huey Long, Gov Talmadge
/ and Senator Bibo, the inflationism
of Senator Thomas of Oklahoma and
the waning popularity of the Roose-
welt administration arise from this
unsound economic condition. In all
the discussion heard on this subject
never once was a rational explana-
ton offered for the loss Of the Amer
1can position in the world cotton mar
ket. And no explanation is given
which really justifles the carelessness
OF the agricultural administrators in
forgetting the relationship of crop re-
duction to the employment of labor in
Southern States.
| In addition, processing and the
general reduction of crops have
raised the price Of manufactured
commodities. They have raised the
cost of living. The farmer who re-
ceives q processing check from the
Government finds that that check has
a constantly decreasing value because
OF the rise in commodity prices and
taxes. The farmer who gets the check
discovers 1t is not worth what he an
ticipates it will bring him.
He Is beginning to understand that
he cannot make money by reducing
production, that money to him can
come only from selling goods in mar
kets-in whatever markets are avail
able. In fact, I found men who were
willing to admit that they might be
better off If their product sold for a
lower price than they are with Gov
ernment protection of the price.
Pigs Come From China.
Another factor in this situation Is
the increased import Of animals and
food commodities from abroad. When
farmers IN Iowa see pigs coming into
their State from China, they are an
noyed even If processing has gen.
orally helped them. Their reaction
is more psychological than economic
Iowa once provided the world with
pigs and might still be able to do 1t
but for the destructive effect of proc
CooAA16- vi tIlC l1ASG OllACC Va
1885 the United States imported more
than 100000 pounds of fresh pork as
compared with 1876 last year; in
March, 1885, 280,716 pounds were i'm
ported as compared with 26,557 dur
ing the same month in 1884.
Take fresh beef, for instance. In
1885, for the first three months, nearly
two million pounds, as compared with
1924 for the same period in 1884. In
March, 1885, more than one million
pounds were imported; in March,
1884, 2,811 pounds.
It Is true that these quantities are
small compared with the total food
consumption in the country, but they
do indicate a definite shortage Of nor
NAL stocks.
Figures on Imports.
have selected few food products
to show what has happened to i'm
ports, with the figures in pounds, ex-
cept for corn:
For the first three months Of 1885
canned meat imports totaled 16,100,-
900 pounds; in 1884, $500, 900. Total
meat products were imported to the
extent of 24,600, 900 pounds for the
1885 period and to the extent of H.
000, 900 pounds in 1884.
Butter jumped from 1916 pounds
to S,53S, ,140 pounds. Corn, which was
imported to the extent of 50,151 BUSH
els during the first quarter of 1894,
skyrocketed to 7,0l7,55O this year.
Cottonseed meal and cake made the
most startling gain, increasing from
474,014 pounds in 1884 to 81, ,402, ,698
pounds this year.
The drought undoubtedly played an
important role in the increase of the
import of food products into, the
United States. But I found on my
travels through agricultural States
and in the large cities that nobody was
blaming the high price of meat upon
the Weather Bureau.
The farmer feels that If he had not
permitted the destruction Of his pigs
this country would not be importing
live pigs and fresh pork: that if he
had worked his fields, he would be
selling surplus production in the