Evening star., 1938-02-07
Parity Price Experts and
Practical Farm Production

To the Editor Of The star:
In your issue of Sunday, January 30
an article by Blair Bolles, "City Worker
Held Farm Price Key" states Louis H.
Bean, economic expert OF the Agricul-
tural Adjustment Administration, ad-
vises farmers to give more attention to
increasing industrial production If they
are to enjoy stable and assured pros
perity.
first call attention to the fact that
Mr.. Bean is an expert" and further he
knows nothing at all about agriculture.
How much Of this industrial production
will the farmers have to increase in order
to market in America twice as much cot
ton as we ever have used? What DOS
sible market can be found for the goods
produced either here or abroad? We
might possibly find . market for another
third OF our wheat crop, full third more
than we ever have used, but this is
doubtful, and as long as we produce the
wheat and cotton or have the materials
with which 1t may be produced, we must
md foreign market or see our own
people starve. There can never be fair
prices Tor farm produce so long as our
markets are kept glutted by the surplus
we always have produced for foreign
markets.
To suggest that we take half our cot
ton land out of production and q third
OF our wheat land, and throw millions
OF farm laborers out OF employment
when we already have $4,000 900
people unemployed can only have one
result, that Is the reduction OF indus
trial employment. II the agricultural
experts once wake up to the fact that
industry only lives and can only live on
agriculture. that agriculture can never
live on industry, We will start some place
soon.
We have the land to feed $4,000 900
people more than our present popula-
tlon, and 50 long As we hold our land
Idle We will have many millions of un-
employed who cannot be supported by
industry. We have to put these people
on the land, put them to work, II we are
to feed them at all! They will add
somewhat, but not greatly to our export
able surplus, for they will consume from
~ per cent to 80 per cent of what they
Will produce. Working men have to eat
and have to wear clothes, they have to
use tools that require manufacturing,
making more employment in industry,
and there is open potential market in
Europe and Asia for every pound OF
wheat and cotton we can ship them.
People over there are starving while We
hold our wheat and cotton of their
markets.
Parity prices and parity income mean
absolutely nothing II wheat sold in
1914 At 81 . bushel, and $40 would buy
= plow, why parity prices today would
put wheat back to 81 and plows back
to $40, but II this Is done by cutting the
farmers crop 20 per cent it's all wrong
again. The farmer that threshed 10000
bushels OF wheat in 1914 could have
bought 500 plows, but with crop control
to reduce his crop 20 per cent he would
only thresh 5000 bushels Of wheat and
with parity prices would only buy 400
plows Farm prices will never be as
high As they should be till every employ-
able man Is at work at some productive
JOB. Raking leaves, building flood con-
troll dams, widening roads. except where
these things serve an actual, practical
productive purpose. can never help. Just
because 4 man is working does not an
sWer; he must produce something, or
transport something Of value to some one
else we all shall starve. Parity price ex-
ports to the contrary, Notwithstanding.
HERB Z. SHARP,