The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1957-11-29

vested aIl.I1 m e
bumper supplies Of
foods. feeds. and fibers this year.
That, TO washington, win be bad
news. It win mean lower prices to
farmers, and higher costs 70 the
U. 8. Treasury In protecting this
country against too much album
dance.
The news win make farmers un-
happy and It win cause congress-
men great concern. II won't. how
eveg, be any big surprise to anyone.
Everyone has known for months
that farm production was likely to
Set Q new record.
Even before farmers began bring
ing In the bountiful 1857 harvest.
our government storeh0uses were
bullying with almost 90 billion dol
lars worth Of produce for which
no market could be found. Some
Of IL Is spoiling.
FarmS don't like that. and, ma
turally, consumers complain be-
cause their food costs keep going
UP and up TO new record highs
month after month. We have q
curious situation In which food
prices 60 up ut about the same rate
that farm prices 60 down.
We have . farm program that
costs Is billion o year. and IL
hasn't been doing the Job Of bring
ing production and demand into
balance. Even with price supports
farmers are getting only e0s6 Of
what IS legally declared to be .
fair price.
Some consumers think govern.
ment farm programs are respon-
sible for high food prices. Farmers
reply that II all farm prices were at
parity, the price defined by law as
fair, consumers would be paying $1l
billion . wear more for their food.
Farmers resent the fact that
while the remainder Of the popula-
ton enjoys unprecedented prosper
ity, their income has been going
down. Some Of them blame WASH
ington and demand that something
be done about it.
washington already has tried
about everything it could think Of
to keep production down and prices
up. It hasn't succeeded very well
In doing either. It is the target for
complaints by both producers and
consumers
Twenty-Five years ago, when we
first found out that we had some
thing called "a farm problem"
washington tried paying farmers
to kill little pigs and pillow up
every third row Of their crops.
When that failed to solve the
problem, washington tried telling
farmers how many acres Of cotton,
corn, wheat, rice, tobacco, peanuts
and other crops they could grow.
That acreage allotment program
still Is In effect.
To persuade farmers to plant
within their allotments the gov
eminent promised to support the
price of their crops at 800 OF
parity, and threatened to fine, or
put In jail, those who over-planted
and became non-cooperatorS.
Then came World War II and all
out production became the patri-
otto thing for farmers TO do. Farm
CLIO 0O06AAb 1A1O4S AAA0SAAAAACAy oAAAS
land and they poured on the fer
tilizer. Production 7oomed to un.
heard Of proportions.
But then the war ended: farm-
ers in other parts Of the world
began to expand their production.
While our markets decreased our
production continued to increase.
The government tried to put the
brakes on production again.
Suddenly, in 1855, it was decided
that the thing to do was have q
Soil Bank and pay farmers bill.
lion dollars year to put their
land into that instead of crops.
Then we reduced price supports to
discourage formers. from produce
ing. Neither Of those has done the
job.
So, Congress will be coming back
soon to try to think up something
new. Meanwhile. washington Just
doesn't know what to do.