The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-01
WEED QUOTA LAW
IS STRENGTHENED
All Loopholes In Penalty Pro.
visions Of Marketing Law
Have Been Plugged

All loopholes in the penalty pro-
visions of the marketing quota law,
designed to adjust crop production
to demand and to stabilize prices,
have been plugged, says e. Y.
Floyd, AAA executive o Ger Of
N. c. State College, The penalties
are strict enough to discourage
overplanting of allotments, and the
Federal government has warned
that the quotas will be enforced,
he added.
Floyd advised tobacco and cotton
growers to act now to put their
crops in line with a1lotments. 'Un.
der the regulations, it is permits
sable to destroy excess cotton prior
to the formation Of hollis, and to.
bacco prior to the harvest of any
of the CROP" he said. do not
wait until the last minute, when it
may be too late"
Commenting on the recent
amendments made by Congress to
the Federal Farm Act Of 1888, the
AAA officer said: Tobacco
groWers-both f1ue cured and bur-
ley-now have the same assurance
OF cotton growers that when they
comply with the provisions of the
crop adjustment program, every
other farmer will be doing the
same, or else paying a penalty
too high to make violation profit:
able.
"This is a point which has caus.
ed considerable dissatisfaction
with the program. Growers who
c%ooperated have complained that
others have found ways to over.
plant and get by. They demanded,
and rightly SO, that Congress put
teeth in the penalty provisions
and insure their enforcement. This
has been done.
Penalties on First Sale
1.-THE recent amendments pro
vide that collection Of the penalties
Of 10 cents per pound on tobacco
marketed in excess of farm
marketing quotas will begin witt
the first sale Of tobacco from the
farm. There will be no transfer
of marketing quotas among farms
nor sale of marketing cards.
eff a farmer fails to accoun'
for disposition of any amount O.
his tobacco, the allotment for hi:
farm will be reduced in the mex
year by such amount of tobacco
And that isn't all. If any farmer
falsely Identifies or fails to accoun'
for disposition of tobacco, he be
comes liable for a penalty of 81
cents per pound of the norma
production on the entire acreage
harvested in excess Of the farm
acreage allotment, this penalty II
addition to the regular 1O-cent-per
pound penalty. In other words, il
a farmer fails to account for his
tobacco, he is liable to a penalty
of 20 cents per pound on the excess
production.
ALSO, the law now provides that
if a farmer sells tobacco on an
other farmers marketing card, his
allotment for the next year will
be reduced by the amount of to,
bacco so marketed. This is in
addition to the penalty on the
farmer allowing tobacco to be mar.
keted on his card, which will be
10 cents per pound on the excess
production and loss of that much
of his allotment for the following
year"
Floyd pointed out that in addition
to the 10-cent-per-pound tax on
excess marketings, a tobacco far
mer Glue cured or burley)
will have s cents per pound on the
normal yield of that acreage de.
Quoted from his conservation pay.
ment.
No Parity Payment For Violators
Excess acreage of cotton results
in a penalty of 3 cents per pound
at the time of the sale, and a de.
duction of 4 cents per pound on the
normal yield from the conservation
payment. Furthermore, a farmer
cannot qualify for a cotton parity
payment if he exceeds the sum
of the allotments and permitted
acreages for cotton, tobacco and
wheat.
I'VE have had farmers tell us
that they liked the program, and
wanted to cooperate if they were
certain others could not escape the
penalties" Floyd declared. They
have that assurance now, and the
Federal government served warn
ing that it intends to prosecute
violators when it tried and con.
victed several persons involved in
alleged violations of the marketing
quota law in Cleveland County a
few months ago." 2