The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1942-10-08
THROUGH
H A I T |
( Y 5
BY HAZEL BRANNON

TeIdTy VI Agriculture 1iduuc IN
Wickard paid a visit to this deep
south town today and received al
enthusiastic ovation from a crow,
of over 10000 Walthall count!
farmers and their families ant
friends. Secretary Wickard's visi
honored the all-day Thanksgiving
program planned by Lester Williams
able editor of The Tylertown Times
and carried out in a big way by the
people Of the entire community
and county.
The Thanksgiving program wa!
planned by Editor Williams to tru
ly give thanks, as did our Pilgrim
Fathers, for the bountiful harvest:
reaped by farm families through
out this entire nation this year. This
year the farmers in the south and
the rest of the nation made an i'm
portant contribution to the war eff
fort by producing more food and
feed than ever before recorded IN
our nations history. The food
program was planned by the govern
ment and carried out by the ma
tion's farmers in such a way that
we have the greatest food supply
known in the world.
The Importance of food cannot
be over-estimated. Without it our
armies cannot fight, u allies per-
ish. More and more the world is
coming to look to america for food
to live, will to fight. The farmer
should receive his full share of cred
it for so willingly cooperating with
the government in its efforts to see
that none 60 hungry. We would al
ready be rationing fats in this
country. Secretary Wicluard said, if
tbs farmer had not cooperated 50
we'll with his government and grown
the oiAproducing crops asked OF
him.
In, spite Of production goals reach
ed this year Secretary Wickard said
we would need every pound OF
food and fiber that farmers pro-
duce this year and u only hope
lies In one direction-in Harvesting
ali Of our resconrces to the task
Of producing only the farm pro-
ducts which are absolutely essen
tial". Mr.. Wickard saw.the govern
ment in the future taking m ev-
en- greater voice in determining the
crops to be grown and the acreage
to be devoted to each. He foresaw
these controls exercised through
limitation Of fertilizer, machinery,
etc. In the future we must grow
only the crops needed by ourselves
and our allies and cut down on un-
necessary crops as much as pos
sible so that we can produce enough
for all our needs, seemed to be the
trend of Mr.. Wickard's thoughts.
He foresaw increased food demands
from our allies as we'll as for u
armed forces and home front.
In spite of these increased de-
nYands in sight Mr.. Wickard said he
could not see at all where Ameri-
can farmers could even equal the
1912 food goals much less pass them
that he could not see production
even as large as 1912. Reasons he
cited were farmers and farmers
sons going into the armed services
and munition factories; hired labor
will be hard to get for the same
reason; more machinery will wear
out, ~ well as farm automobiles and
trucks, none of which can probably
be replaced; fertilizers and other
needed materials will be harder to
get.
All these factors paint a gloomy
picture for the American farmer
IN the nlOHlnS W Soiitt iio'S
production demanded, from hin
and less to work with more
stringent governmental control owe
the things he can and cannot grow
While Mr.. Wickard did not say sc
it is plain that he sees the day a
head when agriculture will be con
trolled completely by the government
and that the day is fast approach
ing when the farmer, The last o
the rugged individualists" will b.
brought completely into the regi
rnented fold.
AN these things will be brough
about by wartime necessity. vii
the fAr,sas in the meantime get Sc
used to leaning on the arm of th'
government and having his life
planned by the government that h
viii continue to need it's help aftel
the war? The answer to that ques
ton win determine whether Amer
ca in the future will continue tn
svsfem of private enterpriSe @