Evening star., 1938-02-20
BUSINESS HALLS
U.S.PROCRAMFOR
FARMPROSPER|TY
Agricultural Buying Power
Is Vital Factor in Do.
mestic Market.
WIDESPREAD BENEFITS
EXPECTED AS RESULT
Rural Dealers Reported Already
Stocking Up Shelves to Meet
Increased Demand.
BY J. G. DONLEY.
niRnatch IN Tha Qtar

Dy W. DO4VA04s
erecial Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, Feb. l9.-For the
farmer in the dell, things look very,
very well-now that the A. A. A. of
1888 has become law and the admins
tration is going to do something about
bringing farm prices back, to the
parity" with other prices which they
achieved for brief period early in
1887 and swiftly lost.
Apparently, the idea this time is to
bring down prices Of some Of the things
the farmer buys, rather than to at
tempt to achieve parity" by putting
prices up for all farm products. But,
in certain selected situations, a little
steam will be put under prices Of
things the farmer has to sell.
Whether or not business sees eve to
eye with the price-pepping plans, 1t is
unit in its belief that anything that
helps the farmer-provided it does not
hurt too much in other directions
will be beneficial to general trade and
industry. For farm prosperity is as
surance that a large section of the
domestic market will be good market.
Auto Sales Heavy.
Take automobiles, for instance. In
the years 1885 and 1896. according to
q study just released by the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and based on a
survey of 1900 farm families in "a
typical farming counties. purchases of
new. cars averaged nearly three per
thousand families Purchases of used
cars set rate nearly twice as high. ut
practically five used cars per thousand
families. Farm families the country
over paid an average of $739 for new
cars and 1858 for used cars, the lat
ter being generally OF the "high-value"
class.
Or take agricultural machinery,
When the farmer is sitting pretty he
always goes In for production aids
that tighten labor. It is estimated
that the country,s farmers purchased
well over $500, ,o00. 900 worth of farm
mechinery last year. which was an
incgease Of about 80 per cent over
1886, and set q new all-time peak
well above the 1920 record.
Steel Demand Cited.
Taking 4 look at steel, We find that,
during the past nine years, agricul-
tural use Of steel has huctuated be.
tween 31a and ga per cent of the
total distribution Of finished steel.
In tonnage. it has ranged between
350,009 and 2.270000 tons. 1t has
been estimated that the potential
maximum for agricultural use of steel,
likely to be attained with few years
OF bro: d recovery. is around 5000, 900
tom. The farm use of steel takes IN
such products as wire, woven fencing,
galvanized and corrugated sheeting
and the like, but takes no account
of the steel used in manufacturing
finished products the farmer buys.
Real prosperity on the farm also
would help the building industry, for
various estimates have indicated 4
greater deficiency in dwellings on
the farms Of the country than exists
in the urban districts.
Sales Spurt Expected.
In this weeks Trade Review, Dun
q Bradstreet reports that lin rural
districts, retailers stocked seeds. gar
den tools and farm equipments, an
ticipating larger sales than q year
ago. And it also reports that pas
sage of the farm bill sent orders for
print cloths to the largest volume in
five weeks"
This development in cotton textiles
grew out of belief that control of
cotton production this year is likely
to be more successful than previous
efforts, for the main reason that last
seasons crop was the largest on rec
ord.
(copyright, 1881