The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-04-25
SEEN and HEARD
ar0u2afhs
National Capital
BY CARTER FIELD

Washington.-Wit nature moving in
to help extlngush the cotton surplus,
as she had already on hogs cattle
| and to lesser extent wheat, probabll-
/ ties for trouble In the future for cot
ton growers in this country are not d.
mlnshed, but Increased.
The point Is that the dust storms
In the big cotton producing areas of
Texas and Okahoma-more than hall
of the cotton raised In the United
states is grown west of the Mississippi I
despite the prevailing opinion to the
| contrary-have already boosted the
| price of cotton. Pressure on AAA Is
expected to continue loans at around I
II cents, despite the desire to drop
them gradually All of which means
that the price Of cotton will be main |
tained at this high level next year.
So far. so good, but unfortunately 1t |
is impossible for the United States to |
keep such situation secret. Ii this |
country could only do what Russia did |
few years back with wheat 1t could |
make a killing on perhaps
next year.
The Russians, 1t may be recalled, cir |
culated stories that their wheat crop
had failed, back In the days of Score
tary OF Agriculture Hyde and the farm
board. The farm board began buying |
| wheat, and the Russians began selling.
| Hyde thought they were selling short, |
| and actually denounced them In public |
speeches for such nefarious practice.
| But the Russians delivered the wheat.
Whereupon the price collapsed, the
Russians having been the only wheat
farmers to get real price for their
product, and the money for that com
Ing out of the United States treasury.
/ But the whole world knows about
crops In the United States. Down In
Brazil they know about the dust storms
that are wrecking cotton crop pros
poets west Of the Mississippi. They
know about the agitation to continue
the l2-cent loans-which means an ar
tifcially maintained 12-cent price next
year. And they know that in Brazil
they can produce cotton at profit at
cents pound
Big Brazilian Crop
So naturally Brazil will increase her
cotton acreage next season by every
square yard possible. This possible"
amount is far from trivial. Tremen-
dous overnight expansion Is impossible,
of course. but Brazil's agricultural ex-
perts figure that only about one-tenth
OF the land capable Of producing cot
ton-aways with the cents. includ-
Ing profit, In minds now under cnl-
tivatlon. So that the real problem Is
labor. But there Is enough labor for
: much more expansion. So 1t can safely
be assumed TINT there will be a big
increase In the next Brazilian crop.
Over In England the cotton spinning
people know about these dust storms,
and about the prospect Of the United
States maintaining the 12-cent price.
Some OF their big mills have made the
change In their looms so as to spin the
Brazilian cotton. More Of them are
now expected to do so. They will nat
uraly figure they can buy Brazilian
cotton cheaper than United States cot
ton.
Over In the Japanese pupnet state
there are now 30,00O,000 acres In cot
ton. Very small so far as worldHhg
nres 90, but there also the facts about
the situation In the United States nre
known. and may be expected to have
results. Similarly In Egypt and India.
All Of which point unerringly to the
lsprobability that throughout the world
there will be a mad rush to take adj
vantage Of the situation. This prom
ises eventually to leave the United
States treasury holding the bag, own
Ing millions of bales Of cotton for
: which It paid II cents pound, when
] the world market will be around I or
} s cents at the most, and 6 gents In all
, probability.
] But this Is only part OF the trouble.
johnson and johnson have already an
nounced their plans for setting up cot
ton mills in Brazil, the idea being not
I only to get cheaper cotton, but to get
away from the processing tax. Prod
. ucts OF this mill would be used In place
+ of goods formerly exported from the
American mills OF this big firm.
Army Is Stirred
Army and navy officers are terribly
concerned over the bill just passed by
the house, and soon to be considered In
the senate. for taking the profit out Of
war. They assure everyone who will
listen to them In private, that 1t will
also take national defense out of war.
which might be very serious indeed to
the nation In the event Of conflict.
The pacifists hail the bill as:
"A bin to keep the United States out
Of war by providing In advance that
there will be ID profits for none, and
(2) confiscatory taxes for all, so that
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