Smyrna times., 1942-04-23
OF
FOOD FOR HOME
Expanded Sc Percent in This
Area, F. S. A. Head
Announces
FAMILY INCOMES RAISE

]. H. Wood, Regional Director of
the Farm Security Administration,
announced last week that Farm Sc
curity borrowers in the Maine
through Maryland region had ex-
panded their production of food for
home use Sc percent, increased
their net family income A percent,
and increased their net worth IL
percent since their initial loans.
During the same period, he said,
the borrowers from the
lowest income farm families-in-
creased the average number of
quarts of fruits and vegetables can
ned from 167 to 251, the average
number of pounds of meat and
poultry produced for home use
from 247 to 430, and the average
number of gallons of milk produced
for home use from 294 to 1884.
Wood said Farm Security figures
show that the net worth of the av-
erage FSA borrower in the North
east rose from $1,682 before they
borrowed to 81, 1868 at the end of
1941. Net family incomes rose
from 1887 to 81, 204, and the value
of production for home use from
237 to $3.50. In the Nation as a
whole, Wood said, average net
worths increased by an average of
43 percent and average net family
income by 80 percent. 81 believe
that this is irrefutable proof of the
worth of the Farm Security system
in our nations economy" Wood
said Our loans have not only
saved the nation millions of dollars
which otherwise would have been
paid out in relief, but they have
also restored a great measure of
economic independence and human
dignity to major portion of our
low-income farm families. And 48
percent of our 6,096,000 American
farmers received less than 5000 per
family in gross earned farm income
during 1939-by no means living
wage under any standards. These
recent figures are particularly en-
couraging when we consider the
fact that in the last 10 years this
low-income bracket has expanded
to embrace 48 percent of our farm
population as compared with %
percent in 1929. The great in
crease in fruits and vegetables pre-
served for family use-114 percent
for the country as whole, means
that our low-income farm families
at long last have a chance to at
tain good health. Without proper
nourishment, decent moral and
mental standards are an impossible
ity."
Delaware Has ITO Increase
Wood said that his figures were
obtained from tabulation of rec
ord books kept by the borrowers.
WCHIy p6iSSllL VI Lie lcSr Oudl
caseload was sampled in the study.
Figures for the smaller states are
based on smaller samplings, he
said.
The greatest average net worth
increases in the northeastern re-
gion came from Vermont where a
total of Sc percent was registered.
Connecticut with a 124 percent in
crease, Delaware with 10 percent,
Massachusetts with u percent and
New Jersey with II percent were
highet in the increased net family
income bracket; and Delaware
with SO percent, Connecticut with
88 percent and New Jersey with IS
percent led other regional states in
increasing food production for
home use.
Throughout the nation FSA's
low-income borrowers doubled the
prodution of meat for home use and
more than doubled the fruit-and-
vegetable-canning averages. These
people drank 81 percent more milk
at the end of 1871 than they did