The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-05-07
THE QUEER CONDITION OF
AGRICULTURE

Inc OnlCeQ States OSPS'A IlAANH' ~
merte has released figures on foreign trade
for the month of March which showed 1ur-
Their widening of the gap between exports
and imports of agricultural products. Inc
largest and most productive farming coun-
trv in the world continues to import IN
creasing amounts of food products and
buvs in foreign countries more than 1t
sells A large majority of intelligent OBJ
SERVERS are agreed that the government
polev of raising prices of farm products
artifcially is primarily responsible for this
condition.
The Commerce Departments figures for
the first three months of this year are as
follows:
s.For the first three months of this year $685.
40 pounds of butter were imported, against H.
sol during the first quarter of 1884; corn imports
increased from 5O,151 bushels in 1884 to I,olT,ooo
this wear; 6,35S,255 bushels Of oats were imported
in the first three months of this year as eompared
with 696 bushels last year; and meat product I'M
ports for the first quarter jumped from 1l,OOO,OoO
pounds last year to 24,6OO,OOO pounds. Included
in this is an increase in pork from 43,166 pounds
to over 100000 pounds"
The country has been informed and re-
informed by the disSeminatorS OF agrlcu!-
tural information that there are great sur
pluses of farm priduets in this, country;
and has been told that to escape the con-
sequences of SURPRISES, land must be taken
out of cultivation, or crops that have been
produced must be destroyed; the purpose
of this policy being to raise prices to prof.
liable levels for the farmers. Prices nave
been raised, but the American farmer Is
not only losing his export markets iont Is
losing the ihome markets, as "a result OF
this artificial boosting of prices. Foreign
buying in this country is decreaslng-as III
the case of cotton, where half of the coun-
try's export business has been lost in twelve
months-and imports of farm products are
increasing.
It is clear that something is out of joint
that something is wrong with the 'plan."
The country is Overlooking with SURPRISES
of our principal crops, such as corn, oats,
meat products. The farmers have produced
so much that the government is compelled
to levy taxes on all consumers to artificial
" boost prices to point where farmers
can secure fair prices for their products !;
but, in spite of this condition, foreign coun-
tries send in millions of bushels and mil
lions of pounds of these same products and
sell them here. At the same time the coun-
try's production of farm crops and every
product of the soil is far below the capacity
OF the land That is proved by taking land
out of cultivation, by destruction of crops.
and by the fact known everywhere that
there are few cases in which our soil is
made to produce to maximum capacity.
The entire country desires prosperity
for the corn and hog and wheat farmers
and the cotton farmers, for the dairymer
and poultrymen, and every class of the
country's agricultural producers, hut. there
is more than a growing suspicion" tina,
the planned economy" of the lAAAeis go
ing to prove "panned economy for tn,
farmers and other consumers and that tn
people are going to be "panned'' while tn
politicians and bureaucrats prosper.
Statesmen are, burdened with many prot
lens, most of which wouldn't exist If Their
were no statesmen.
Pennsylvania state police announce tns
hitchhikers will be jailed or fined. ln'othe
words, thumbs down on thumbs up.
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