Evening star., 1939-04-16

WIN almost every state legislative seS-
sion, add millions of dollars to the
Nations annual food bill.
Despite the constitutional prohibition
against imposing duties, almost every
State has regulated or restricted inter-
state trade in foods and other COM
modities.
Scores Of additional bills, extending
these BARRIERS are before State legisla-
lures as the first co-ordinated effort to
halt the trend gets under way on two
fronts.
Called by the Council of State Gov
ernments, national conference on
interstate trade barriers met in Chicago
recently.
Action looking toward the removal
of trade barriers between States also
has been recommended by the Bureau
Of Agricultural Economics in a special
report to Secretary Wallace.
The report gives the results of the
bureaus investigation of barriers affect
ing dairy products margarine, alcoholic
beverages, fruits, vegetables and other
farm crops through State taxes, licensing
and bonding requirements, inspection
limitations, quarantine restrictions and
other regulations.
These restrictions, according to bureau
officials, add millions OF dollars to the
annual food bill of consumers and make
it increasingly difficult, If not impossible
for persons in the lower income brackets
to obtain necessary foods"
Barriers Early Opposed.
Tariff barriers between the States led
directly to the call for the constitutional
convention. The weakness Of the
Articles of Confederation was nowhere
better illustrated than In the economic
warfare that ragged between the States
in the years Immediately after the
Revolution.
1t was the Annapolis Convention,
meeting to discuss these trade barriers,
that brought about the Philadelphia
session of 1887. The men who wrote the
new Constitution were quite sure they
had effectively settled the question Of
free trade between the States by for
bidding States to impose duties on i'm
ports from other States or from foreign
countries.
The prosperity of American agricul-
ture and industry was built on the foun-
dation of free trade throughout large
country. AS the Nation grew and the
marketing system became more complex,
however, 1t became necessary to have an
increasing number of laws, regulations
and ordinances to protect the farmer,
dealer and consumer.
These regulations were needed, but by
their complexity and multiplicity they
brought two dangers-first, that they
might hamper trade more than help it,
and second, that the tendency might
arise to raise barriers against distant
producers to aid nearby producers or
dealers at the expense of the consumer.
Arrest of five men, including the presi-
dent of Washington dairy, after police
had trailed truck from Indiana to the
District, recently focused attention on one
phase Of the problem-tre economic walls
that have been built up around arbi-
trarily-fixed "milksheds."
Purity Standards Met,
The questioned cream, subsequent lab
oratory tests showed, met the District
standards for purity, standards which
are among the highest in the country.
Members of the House of Represent
atives, in voting an investigation of the
Washington milk situation, charged that
a conspiracy existed to keep milk pro-
duced outside the Washington milkshed
out Of the District. It was pointed out
that milk sells for IA cents a quart
in Washington, although other we'll
regulated cities are able to purchase
healthful milk at or cents quart.
In number of Eastern States
Massachusetts,, Rhode Island, Connecti-
cut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia and Florida-all fluid
milk, and in some cases cream, must
come from farms that are licensed or in
spected by ofncials of the State into
which the milk is shipped. These health
and sanitary inspection requirements,
whether actually 50 used or not, leave
the way open for limiting milk "im-
ports" to protect home producers.
Even more important are the restric-
tions that municipalities put on milk,
cream and dairy products. Although
ostensibly health regulations, many of
them openly limit the area from which
milk may come, in one case to an eight
mile radius from Massachusetts town.
These restrictions" according to Dr.
Frederick w. Waugh of the Bureau Of
Agricultural Economics, raise prices
and make it impossible for many fani-
lies in the low income brackets to buy
milk. The municipalities set up virtu-
ally an economic autonomy which debars
thousands Of dairymen and other
farmers from marketing an indispensa-
bic food"
Adoption by the States of standard
milk ordinance which would adequately
safeguard public health, yet interfere As
little Is possible with the free now Of
dairy products. has been suggested as .