Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-05-09
WALLACE DEFENDS
CROPS PROGRAM
Sees Nothing Inconsistent
in P|an-HoIds Farm Bene.
fits Well Spent.

spending $500, DOC. 900 this year to re-
strict major crops through soil con-
servation payments while you are
urging farmers to fill up their bins?"
Nov that the President is insisting
a. part Of his economy drive that
Federal departments shall not even
spend the money appropriated for
them, would it not be well to suspend
for one year all soil conservation pay
rnents, and save q half billion dol
lars?"
would it not be possible to deny
farm benefits to gentleman farmers
who make rich mans hobby Of their
country places in view Of the fact
that the Treasury Department will
not allow them to charge OH losses on
their farms in making up income tax
returns unless the rich man is really
In the farming business?"
rs this country ever again to as
sumo its former position as the chief
supplier of wheat for the bread bas-
ket Of the world? How long are we
going to continue importing Argen-
tine corn to feed cattle and hogs in
our own corn belt?"
These are some Of the questions put
to Secretary OF Agriculture Wallace
during an interview, after President
Roosevelt had sent to Congress the
disheartening news that the Govern
ment's tax receipts for this year had
been overestimated In January by
100000 and that every depart
ment must start curtainng tmme-
dtately.
Agriculture Bill Report.
! The demand OF the President came
almost simultaneously with the House
Appropriations Committees favorable
report on the new Agriculture De-
partment's bill calling for expendi-
lures Of nearly 81. 000 900 900, Of which
IS per cent is for emergency &C.
tivities."
With ordinary weather this year"
Secretary Wallace told the interviewer,
and with the program as now set up,
there would be a sufficient supply of
corn, wheat and cotton to bring about
a reduction Of prices of sufficient mag
nitude to be gravely disturbing to
many city industries as we'll as to the
farmers.
But II we had no soil conservation
program this year, and no benefit
payments to turn farmers from grow
ing those crops to the soil-building
crops Of legumes and grasses, we
would have 24,000,000 more acres
planted In corn and cotton.
'Those 100000 acres should not
be planted in corn and cotton because
OF serious damage from erosion, and
the product of those acres In the long
run would be Of no benefit to the peo-
pie on the land.
Years for Paying Farm.
Farmers, who are short Of money.
mine their soil, and if the soil is rath-
er weak to start with, it is not many
years until ghost farms and ghost
communities are produced. Ordinar-
lily, 1t takes two or three years before
sound farm practices begin to pay,
and II the weather is unfavorable it
may even take six or seven years"
Therefore, Secretary Wallace be-
1ieves 1t would not be advisable to
call OF soil conservation benefits even
for a single year. and that If the "a
100000 additional acres of corn and
cotton were planted this year, there
might be a back-breaking surplus.
Furthermore, he does not favor
denying the gentleman farmers the
Government benefits for planting part
Of their acres in soil-building crops,
even though they do not need the
money. He looks on the whole thing
as part Of national program, and if
they contribute toward the upbuilding
of American agriculture he is willing
that they should share in 1t, even
though another department. of the
Government makes distinction when
1t comes to income tax matters.
Sees Plan Consistent.
He sees nothing inconsistent in pay
Ing out $500,0000 900 for soil conserva-
ton this year, while urging the farm
erE to MI up their bins, because soil
erosion results in loss Of that much
every year in the United States, and
for the further reason that the acre
age now planted will enable farmers