The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-09-26

and only projects that held promise or
actually developing manufacture and
retail selling would be approved and
financed by federal money. 1t is re-
grettable but it is a fact that almost
nothing has come of this program.
And to make matters worse, lately,
Secretary Ickes, public works admin
Harry Hopkins have locked horns on
the bulk of the projects on which
federal money was to be used.
1t is not strange that these two men
should differ. Mr.. Hopkins, being a
trained, professional, welfare worker,
sees things only from the standpoint
of the individual who needs food. Mr..
Ickes has conception of federal
spending that embraces the use Of
money in ways designed to start the
great industries in motion. He figures
that If these industries get going, they
will employ workers; the workers
will spend their wages and the retail
ers will profit thereby and, as the re-
tailers sell from their shelves, they
seek requirements from the manufac-
turers. The controversy between Mr..
Hopkins and Mr.. Ickes, therefore, is
not one to be settled by compromise
or by soft words. In fact, it may
never be settled until one or the other
gets out of his place in the govern
ment.
The Importance of the Ickes-Hop-
kins row to the reader of this column,
however, lies largely
6redR FOR in the fact that the
TdxDQvers particular reader is a
taxpayer. The con-
nection is simply this: the last con-
gress appropriated S4,SSOOOO,OOO for
use by the administration in public
works and relief. If all of that sum
were spent the public debt would be
increased by that amount because in
ternal revenue taxes are insufficient to
offset more than the ordinary govern
ment expenditures. Therefore, if all
of this money is not spent, and it can
not be spent if the Ickes- Hopkins dis
pute continues to hold back admins
tration plans, then the taxpayers will
have just that much less of a govern
ment debt to meet through this pay
ment of their taxes.
So the Presidents order placing all
administrative agencies under the gen.
eral accounting office to see that their
spending is honestly done and the de-
velopments within the administration
over a difference in policy must be
taken together as a break for the tax
payer.
Agriculture adjustment administra-
ton officials are about ready to pre-
sent to the farmers
Fotdto of this country a de-
Control tailed plan for con-
troll of potato pro-
duction. 1t will provide means for
boosting the incomes of the potato
farmers something more than 100 per
cent, and will increase the cost of this
item of food to consumers by a pro-
portionate amount, of course. Con-
ferences soon will be held between the
AAA and Representatives of farmers
organizations to work out phases of
the plan reqpiring farmer approval.
Various thoughts arise if one reflects
upon potato control First, control of
potato production marks the four
teeDth agricultural crop brought I'M
der RECOMMENDATION and it presents,
probably, the toughest of all of them
in the matter of enforcing its provi-
sions. When one considers that there
are approximately 100000 potato
growers in this country, it seems
plain that the job of enforcement is
fraught with as many difficulties as
any other New Deal experiment Pos
sibly, it may be as difficult of enforce
ment as was prohibition.
Adoption of the potato control pro-
gram represents attainment of a point
iG the life of the AAA where one step
has led to another until control of po-
tatoes was essential, or the whole plan
of crop control fiops. 1t will be re-
called that the declared purpose of the
AAA at the beginning was only for the
control of cotton. Land withheld from
cotton then was planted to tobacco
and tobacco had to be controlled; when
tobacco was controlled, and the land
withdrawn, farmers in some sections
turned to peanuts and peanuts had to
be controlled. With the retirement of
land from peanut production, partic-
ularly in some sections, the potato
crop took a big bulge So, now we
have potato control and Senator King,
Democrat of Utah, said the other day
that he anticipated proposals in the
next session of congress for the extern
sion of government control over other
commodities, naming carrots, cabbages.
lettuce, tomatoes, and all kinds of
fruit. He asked, Significantly, where
is it all going to stop?"
| understand the AAA Is consider
ably worried about the job of enforc-
ing the potato control law. That law
provides compulsion against overpro-
duction in the form of a tax club-a
tax of 45 cents bushel. In addition.
there are penalties of an amazingly
severe kind-S1 900 fine for the first Of
Tense and Imprisonment for not more
than year for the second.
n