The Daily Alaska empire., 1944-10-07
undoubtedly the reservations" will be tested.
Surplus Land
Washington Post)


 The testimony of the Surplus Property Admin strator MT w. L. Clayton before the Mead Com mittee did little to support his view that he ought to be given completely free hand in the disposal of surplus properties On the contrary it effectively demonstrated that the Senate, in it's version of the surplus property bill is altogether right in insisting upon Congressional prescription of policies in the framing of disposal law. The Senate realizes the social and economic implications of the tremendous task with which MT. Clayton has been entrusted.
 MT. Clayon's testimony dismissed land disposal as not of the most important problems" he faces, and expressed regret that it had become much a matter of public discussion and controversy Whether not it takes precedence in importance over contract termination and the disposal of in- dustrial facilities it remains matter weighted with the utmost significance for the whole of our rural economy. By the manner in which we return to private ownership the vast farm acreage acquired by the Government in the course of the war we shall determine the survival of family farming the basis of American agriculture
 This is the choice before us: We can dispose of these lands ndiscriminaely at the market price or to the highest bidder, MT. Clayton suggests; or make them available a selective basis to bona fide farmerswar veterans discharged industrial workers and who at present farm tenants who genuinely seek chance to and operate small farm for themselves If pursue the course advocated by MT. Clayton, the farm lands released by the Government will certainly come into the hands of spectators and large landowners thus aggravating the trend toward corporate farming and absentee ownership which already plaques seriously our agri- cultural economy. If the other hand we make this land available at reasonable prices and with governmental aid in the form of credit to small farmers who want it, need it and know how to manage it. shall give real impetus to the democra tization of rural America. And we shall provide means for the unemployment of many thousands of farmers demobilized from the armed forces and from industries.
 Assistant Attorney General Norman Littell advo- cated this latter approach in testimony before the Mead Committee Tt is not quite clear said MT. Clayton, to how MT. Littell would about fixing price below the market price that buyers should be asked to pay for this land" In point of fact, nothing could be clearer to anyone familiar with the farm problem and with farm legislation The Bank head-Jones Farm Tenant Act has established pro- cedure under which county committees appralse land in terms of it's ongtim agricultural value, as dis nguished from it's market price and also pass upon the qualifications of purchase applicants The system has been in successful operation for half dozen years.
 Obviously it is a system which can best be ad- ministered by agency which has had experience with it and which possesses the organization to cope with it. That agency is the Department of Agri- culture The Reconstruction Finance Corporation, to which MT Clayton has chosen to entrust the whole job of surplus farm land disposal, is equipped only to lqudate- without regard to the social and economic consequences of what it does It is fitted for this undertaking than it is for the manage of the United States Navy Certainly the system cannot operate so long tollgate in the form of real estate brokers placed between prospective chasers and the Government MT. Clayton proposes We hope the House will agree with the Senate that the farm land disposal problem should be lodged where it belongs in the Agricultural Depart ment