The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1956-02-21
Congress Restores Tobacco Acreage Cuts
Abbitt Bill
Sails Through
House, Senate

The Congressional whirlwind
over tobacco cuts. stirred up BY
Congressman Watkins M Abbitt.
reached . roaring climax Friday.
Farmers got back their Is per-
cent cuts Of fire-cured. hurley and
Maryland tobaccos and q 20 per
cent whack in dark air-cured
leaf.
Abbitt said Saturday that the
restoration Of dafk-fired and air.
cured tobaccos viii mean more
than $500. 900 to the economy Of
the dark tobacco producing coup
ties Of Virginia. centering in this
area.
He was delighted" and "elated"
over the quick action he was able
TO win from Congress to restore
the cuts authorized last Deem
Der by the Department of Agri-
8 culture.
Congress Acts Fast
The seven day near-record
speed Of Congress in passing the
bill viii enable growers to know
exactly how much tobacco they
can plant In plenty Of time for
the new season. Until notified Of
ficially by county ASC officers, q
pretty accurate rule of thumb CAL
culation can be: acreage they had
last year.
Congressman Abbitt got big
assist in his efforts from dealers.
warehousemen and buyers from
this area. including J. w. Dun
nington. Walter Putney. T. B. Hall,
Joel Watkins. Jr.. J. Mott Robert
son ana interests at Blackstone.
They presented a key report
during Washington conference.
showing that several millions of
pounds Of dark tobacco which the
USDA considered as excess on
hand is really tobacco that has
been sold. but simply left in the
dealers warehouses in the U. 8.
for curing. This was one of the
primary reasons the Department
Of Agriculture said it would not
oppose the Abbitt restoration bill
when it was introduced in Con-
gress a week ego.
Now s,74l Acres
The restoration win bring Vir-
ginia's dark-fired tobacco acreage
to 9.744 acres-located in Central
and Southside Virginia. The Alb
bitt bill restored 1852 acres which
were cut off last year and will
mean a great deal to the farm
economy in that section.
Abbitt pointed out what deal
ers had proved to him: there is
not a surplus Of Virginia dark
fired tobacco and stressed the fact
that there is great need for ad-
ditional acres to meet the de-
mands and needs in this country
and for export.
In his speech in the House on
Thursday when he led the debate
on the bill. Abbitt pointed out that
he had just received a letter from
the Astra Tobacco Corporation Of
New York saying that they had
purchased every pile of dark-fired
wrapper available and were un-
able to secure a sufficient guam
tity to meet the demands Of the
Austrian Tobacco. Monopoly and
its affiliated factory in Munich.
Germany. He added that this one
company had even been forced to
look for wrapper substitutes in
other countries. finally finding
some In Nyasaland. South Africa.
This is but one instance Of the
need for an increase in the al
lotment Of Type 81 Virginia dark
fired tobacco" Abbitt told the
House.
Unusual Action
Congressman Abbitt introduced
the bill on February 7 and 1t was
reported by the Tobacco Subcom-
mittee Of the House Agriculture
Committee the same day. Abbitt is
chairman of the subcommittee.
The next day it was taken up at
a special meeting by the full House
Agriculture Committee and report
ed to the House. Passage of the
bill first by the House and then
by the Senate on the 18th thus
gave favorable congressional ac-
ton within q week. which is high
~ unusual in the drawn-out con-
greSSional process.