Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-11
Ponders
WaIIaceIype
Farm Support
BY MARTIN S. HAYDEN

ny MAh11N ,. MA DEN
North American Newspaper Alliance
The spirit Of Henry A. Wal
lace is stalking Agriculture De-
partment corridors with the
answer" to Republican worries
over declining farm prices.
The answer. now being pressed
on Secretary Benson by top ad-
visers, is to meet the problem Of
farm overproduction by "leas-
ing" from farmers marginal
lands that economically should
not be in production and letting
them lie idle in the name of
conservation"
The scheme will be formally
considered soon by President Eli
senhower's top agricultural adj
visory committee. Behind 1t are
some facts Of life on the farm
that Republicans scorned when
Mr.. Wallace was dreaming in
1913 Of his plan for an lever nor
NAL granary."
First, as Mr.. Wallace foresaw,
is the "fact" of the present
G. o. p. problem: On the eve
of a national election, with cor
porate profits looming and in
dustrial wages paced by auto
industry example to new highs,
the farmer is doubly squeezed
between declining prices for what
he sells and increased costs on
what he must buy. In mid-Au-
gust farm prices we're 6 per cent
below a year ago while parity
(relation between farm prices
and costs) was of 5 per cent
from 1854 and 90 per cent from
1851.
Economists Agree
Most economists agree on the
reasons for the trouble:
In the years Of World War II,
foreign aid and Korean war. the
Government stimulated produc-
ton with price incentives that
encouraged farmers to plant
everywhere, regardless Of the
normal dictates of economies
and land management prudence.
Now. with the emergency ended,
continuing extra production has
built, q $1,000. 100000 Govern
ment surplus Of stored food, de-
pressed the market, and sent
average prices below the support
levels Washington guaranteesI
participants in the farm pro-
gram.
Some wheat statistics illustrate
the story:
In prewar 1899 United States
farmers produced 100000, 600
bushels of wheat that brought AMI
average So cents a bushel. At
the 1947 peak of war stimulants,
production jumped to 1855, 900. :
600 bushels and the price to $1.84I
a bushel. Last year a $4,000, Il
000-bushel production sold forI
an average $214 a bushel,
10 cents under the. guaranteed
price of 1924.
Prediction Brings Worry
For 1855. with the support
price dropped by Mr.. Benson toI
$2.08. Republicans are shudder-
ing at the prediction that farm
ers will still produce Gil 900 .000l
bushels t11.000.000 more than
the Nation can eat or sell abroad |
and that the average market
price may drop below 50 a bushel.
The surplus cannot be given
away without wrecking the whole
world grain market and the pre-
sumed safety value" in the |
price-support program acreage
restrictions) is not working. One |
reason 1t doesn't work is better |
farm technology. which increases
the output per acre; another is
that as farmers cut wheat acre
age they are shifting to other
cash crops. overproducing them |
and causing more price declines. |
Mr.. Benson's advisers say the |
answer must be total removal
Of thousands Of farm acres from
food production of any kind. |
They urge that, particularly in
the so called southwestern
great plains" of Colorado, Kan
sas and the Panhandle district
Of Texas and Oklahoma, the
marginal land must be retired
before continued blowing for
new crops turns it once again
into q vast dust bowl.
The fact that government can
not now bankrupt farmers who
did the job when the war de-
manded extraordinary produc-
ton leads to the suggested new"
answer.
Rent Plan Urged
A revised farm law, Mr.. Ben
sons advisers urge, should pro-
vide for governmental rental. att
a suggested average $40 an acre,
of some 40 million acres. The
owners would let the idle land
60 into grass and regain strength
and fertility for. the day when
another war, or increasing popu-
lation, dictates its return to food
production.
The whole package. 1t is sug-
gested, woul dbe done in con-
servation's name. with none of
the stigma attached to past New
Deal and Fair Deal programs
Of paying farmers to do nothing.
The hitch is that the scorned
Henry Wallace had the same
approach. For example, in Feb
ruary 1887, Mr.. Wallace told al
farm meeting that a program
of straight farm price supports
must run into trouble whenever
successive years of surplus prod
uction filled the Government
storage bin.
ITO accomplish this, the Gov
eminent might offer producers
conditional payments. This kind
of payment would be conditioned
on the farmers use of his land