The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-04-06
CAPITOL
by Congressman Knutsot
Has Upset Equilibrium

The Cotton Control bill passed
by Congress several years ago fix
ed the price of cotton at IL cents
per pound. That price encouraged
Brazil, Egypt, India, China and a
number of other countries to go
into the growing of the crop. AS
a result the South has lost a major
portion of its foreign cotton mar
ket.
The government now owns over
II million bales of cotton for which
it has paid SIS million dollars, not
to mention a $500 per bale annual
carrying charge. There is no mar
ket for this surplus cotton which
has accumulated because the above
mentioned countries have taken ov-
er foreign markets.
This has caused a serious disloca-
ton in our agricultural setup. The
South has reduced its cotton acre
age by about IT million acres that
are now largely given over to dairy
ing, corn and forage crops.
In a remarkable speech delivered
in Alabama last Thursday the Pres
ident called upon the southern
farmer to throw off the yoke of
the North" He advised them to
diversity their crops and particul-
larly stressed dairying, so as to
make them independent Of us.
In years gone by the South has
been our best customer for wheat,
corn and butter while we have been
their best customer for cotton, to-
bacco and rice. We cannot grow
cotton and rice; therefore must
continue to depend upon the South.
But the South can produce all the
foodstuffs that they have been buy
ing from us.
We now have about SO million
pounds of butter in storage which
is IA million pounds above normal.
These figures are as of March 1,
1889. This amount will be greatly
increased when our cows get out
on green pasture. What is the
President going to do about this
serious situation? Does he realize
that we cannot compete with the
South in the production of butter
and hogs because they have green
pasturage the year around while
our livestock must be fed indoors
at least six months in the year?
When it is all added up it sim
ply fails to make sense.
Where will it all end and will we
ever be able to restore the old bal
stroyed?
Would Not Have Helped Us
The Agricultural Appropriation
bill was before the House last
week. 1t contained an item of $50
million dollars that was to be
used to provide parity prices for
wheat, corn and cotton, of which
80 million dollars was to be used
for cotton, 80 million dollars for
wheat and a like sum for corn.
Why the dairyman and rye grower
was left out I cannot explain I'M
less it be on the ground that the
Chairman of the Committee on
Agriculture is from the South.
Naturally, voted against the
item, as did many others because
it would not in any way benefit
the dairy sections of the country,
Dairying is the biggest single agri-
cultural activity in the country ano
why it should be ignored in beyond
understanding.
I am for parity prices but I do
not want it confined to restricted
crops and sections of the country.
The dairyman and rye grower in
Minnesota is just as much entitled
to parity prices as it the cotton
grower of the South. If it is good
for one it is good for the other.
Sitting the WPA
Last Thursday and Friday WPA
was under the Congressional mic
roscope. Some of the things re-
vealed were almost shocking. For
instance, when Congress appro-
priated 8 million dollars that was
to be used in part for the con-
struction of a building at the New
York fair it was agreed that the
building was to house all govern
ment exhibits. Imagine our sur
prise when we learned that WPA