The Republican., 1935-11-14
LATEST POTATO PLANS

In spite of the fact that it's planned
curtailment and destruction of crops
and its processing tax have operated
greatly to increase the cost of living,
the AAA at Washington is said to be
becoming consumer conscious" We
are informed that Secretary Wallace
has been peeved at the reports that
bread prices are to be raised in parts
of the United States, and it is claimed
by some of the agricultural authori-
ties at Washington that this is all
wrong because the farmeriis not get
ting the benefit. There have even been
hints of Federal investigation of the
fact that prices have gone up.
1t would seem that when such in
vestigation starts it might be we'll to
figure, out so far as possible, just how
much the burning Of three million pigs,
the destruction of grain and the as
sesed processing tax have had on the
rise in the cost of bread and pork
chops.
But in spite of all this late indigna-
tion by certain members of the Brain
Trust over the rise in the cost of liv-
ing in the cities, it is interesting to
note in Associated Press dispatches
from Washington that the Farm Ad-
ministration at Washington is prepar-
ing to spend five million dollars of the
peoples money to raise the price Of
potatoes. Now the humble tuber has
been about the only important food
of the common man" which has not
been raised in price by Federal tink-
ering. 1t is even limited that the ad-
vice given by the AAA agents to far
mers to plant their idle fields in po-
tatoes, have helped actually to reduce
the price. i
But all of that is going to be "fxed"
and pretty soon, if the AAA has its
way, potatoes will cost as much, pro-
portionately as pork chops.
The new potato stamp and control
law doesn't go into effect until Decem-
ber l. But the AAA through this $5,-
100000 outlay is planning to increase
the price of late potatoes from this
years crop. About IL per cent of the
late crop is to be diverted as "relief"
potatoes or to go into starch or alco-
hol, according to published plans. May
be if the II per cent can't be gotten
rid of otherwise they can be placed
in heaps and roasted as some of the
pigs were in 1888. At any rate it is
hoped by its sponsors that this pota-
to diversion will raise the price con-
siderably per bushel.
Now here is the difficulty. AAA
speakers have already told US that the
high price of meat products now prev
alent is not due to the farm program
but to the dry weather. Well, if the
farm program didn't raise the prices,
what's the use of trying it out again
on potatoes? On the other hand, if the
potato price goes up and the consum-
ers kick, the experts can prove by log
arithms that scarcity was caused by
the big potato bug crop in the fall of
1885 and not by the AAA.
In fact, this fixing the blame for the
high cost of living seems to be ques-
ton Of geography. When the New
Dealers are talking to the farmers
they tell the farmers that the AAA
brought them higher prices. But when
the professors are making speeches
in town they tell the consumer that
the high cost of pork chops and flour
wasn't their fault. 1t was brought
about by the weather man. So there
you are. Pick your location and take
your choice of explanations.
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