The Redwood gazette., 1935-10-31
The AAA Vote

VOCC
\ LTHOUGH Redwood county farmers
~ favor the corn-hog program by mar
gin of AZ to 1 according to the vote
last Saturday, there is some doubt as to it's
merits in the minds of many who voted
Eyes" and the mo" votes in general repre-
sent quite spirited opposition. The pro-
gram is not, therefore, as nearly unanimous
ly accepted as the balloting might indicate.
To some the AAA appears to be only
a part of the great spending program of
the Democratic party, program generally
popular with those in line to receive help
but looked upon obviously by those who
see taxes mounting to repay the debt.
AS matter of fact, AAA benefit pay
ments are derived from processing taxes
paid currently by the consumer and are not,
therefore, debt to be passed on to the next
generation. Naturally the consumer has
raised his voice against taxes for the direct
benefit of fellow group of citizens, the
farmers. Has the consumer forgotten the
years when farm products were sold at
prices which bankrupted many farmers be-
cause there was no organization and control
of farm output such as the AAA contem-
plates? Has he forgotten that for years,
farmers have paid higher prices for the
things they buy because of tariff walls pro-
tecting American manufacturers and their
employees?
Last week friend of ours who siren
uously objects to the AAA mailed us an en-
velope full of clippings containing argu-
ments against the program, the glst OF
which was: 1. The hog supply in most OF
the important hog-producing countries IS
light. 2. High prices here have resulted IN
greatly increased imports, giving farmers IN
other nations direct benefit from American
farmer cooperation. 8. A monthly review
by the Royal Bank of Canada sets forth that
Canada. with less drastic efforts toward re-
coverv. has enjoyed a recovery comparable
with that in the United States, noting In the
last paragraph Canadian agriculture IN
general is in a stronger position than IN the
limited States because farm prices IN cana
da are in reasonably healthy relationship
to world prices"
The conservative attitude of the Cana
dian hank can easily be explained IN d
country in which wild ideas have been as
prevalent as in Canada in recent months. lts
description of Canadian farm prices as piac-
ing farmers there in stronger posltlon
than American farmers is contradicted py
Americans we know who own land In cana
da and have hoped for some income from
it in recent years.
On the mdCCoT VI IICdC 1AAPOA''
friend scores his strongest point for i'm
ports jumped during the first eight months
of 1886 to 25s,oOO,Ooo pounds compared
with about 100000 pounds in the cores
nonding period of 1884. Yet beef imports
were II times greater while pork imports
were six times as large as in the period
wear ago. That world meat supplies are low
is not strange in view of prices in recent
years and the efforts of various govern
ments to help agriculture. Still the in
crease in American imports indicates an ad-
vantage in American prices and that short
ages in other countries are not general.
There is no denying that the drouth,
while it helped farm prices in conjunction
with the AAA, nevertheless cut the output
below the desirable bottom level and con-
tributed to the rush to import It does not
follow that the AAA is unworkable. The
truth is that it is the first systematic at
tempt at adjusting the volume of farm pro
duce to the demand that can be reasonably
expected and as such should be maintained,
with improvements as their need becomes
apparent