Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-08-26
Wallace's Farm Program
Hitting Snag; No Cure-all
For Problem, Babson Says
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tween agricultural and industrial
prices. Today, however, the farmers
products will buy only IA per cent as
many industrial goods as they would
buy twenty-five years ago. So "farm
program" is standard in every poll
tical platform.
Seven Major Remedies.
The various remedies proposed by
both Democrats and Republicans over
the past few years can be boiled down
into the following:
L Regain our foreign markets: Sec
retary Hull is working hard along this
line. Secretary Wallace has also just
come out with a plan to subsidize the
sale of our wheat abroad. But if we
want foreign nations to purchase
more of our farm goods. we must buy
more of their industrial goods so they
can pay us. Lowering of tariffs brings
a terrible howl from manufacturers
while getting foreigners to buy again
is easier said than done. Many ma
tions, who were formerly not raising
cotton or wheat, are now doing it sat-
isfactorily
2. Reduce farm operating costs: One
way is to cut the farmers real estate
taxes. Another is to stop the squan-
dering of public funds so that indus
trial taxes will be lower This plan
also involves reducing factory wages
and passing along both tax and wage
savings by lowering the price of
things the farmer must buy Such
program, however, is not popular with
the politicians. ~ sa1J1
3. Make farming mode OF living:
have always felt that farming should
be made a mode of living. Our farm
problem became acute when people
tried to turn farming into "big bus
1ness." Much of the complaint comes
from those who raise only one crop.
and Who do not try to be self-suffi-
clent. Encouraging people to live on
tner farms, to raise their own chick
ems, eggs and vegetables, and to di-
versify their crops is a sound, but
long-range, method of attack.
PrOpping Prices Tried Before.
4. Support prices artificially: Under
Ex-President Hoover we had a farm
board which squandered millions of
dollars IN trying to prop the price of
wheat. Now we are working on a pro-
gram which is just the ole 1oea dress
ed up in a new bib and tucker. AS a
result of it, the Federal government
already owns 100000 bales of cotton
"a full years supply Furthermore.
If we support the price of cotton. we
ought to support the price of beef.
popcorn and eggplant. Can the Fed
eral government ever be successful
in pegging the price of hundreds of
products raised on 1000, 900 farms9
3. Help families to move away from
poor soil: Some farm economists ask
why should we spend billions of dol
lars lifting prices so marginal farm
ers can survive. Why not lust helm
those families who are living on poor
soil to get off it? But where will thew
go? There are no jobs in the cities
Furthermore, it is easier to give these
marginal farmers relief on their farms
than it is to take care of them as
jObless in the cities.
Let Economics Take Its Course.
g.. Take politics out of the farm pro-
blem: Many believe that the farm pro-
blem will begin to get better the min
ute the Federal government pulls its
finger out of the pie. Then those far
mers who cannot make living will
be forced to get off their farms and
eventually find new livelihood. Over
a period this would probably solve
the problem, but it would mean a lot
of human suffering. Moreover, while
this natural remedy was being an.
piled, it would hurt every one. We
cannot have prosperity in the cit,