The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1957-04-02

nor producers are free to exercise
heir best judgments as to what
shall be produced. how much. and
)y whom. Under these conditions
he responsibility for making these
decisions is given TO select men.
Thus clothed with authority they
must act as though somebody knows
more than everybody,
When prices are supported above
what consumers are willing to pay
hey look for cheaper sources of
upply and substitute products. Syn
heticS flourish while cotton suffers.
Oleo spreads while butter spoils Eek
port markets disappear as other
countries expand their production
( cotton, tobacco. wheat. etc
Similarly. as production sllo t.
ments are reduced farmers find
ways to produce more per acre.
They also bid up the price for al
otted acres in an effort to buy fast
enough to keep their rights from
being reduced through cuts.
Thus, production is not permitted
0 decrease in proportion to re-
duced allotments. Meanwhile, cost
per unit of product does not de-
crease as might be expected. To the
extent that total production is re-
duced and costs fail to decline pro-
oortionally the farmers net income
is lower. Producers strive to keep
production up despite acreage re-
auctions, and to this extent contrib
ute to the need for further cuts and
expand surplus supplies.
In order to spare small pro-
dUcers there is d minimum below
which their allotments may not be
cut. Those whose allotments are
above the minimum bear the brunt
Of cuts until all become so small
that the minimum has to be lowered
Burley tobacco affords a typical H.
lustration Of what happens A few
years age the minimum allotment
was 90 an acre. 1t was reduced TO
OF an acre. In 1855 it was further
educed to 05 an acre Now more
than 60 per cent of some 300, 900
farms, or about 1870 900. have allot-
mems of 0.5 an acre or less.
This is essentially a process for
raioning poverty and outlawing eff
ficiency which would otherwise be
expected. II denies the right to COM
pete and limits opportunity Those
growers of tobacco and other COM
moGites who could produce them
rs cheaply as they can be grown
my place and make more satisfac
tory inComes than now. are denied
the freedom to do so Meanwhile,
consumers Of these products are
forceG to pay more than the cost
should be. TO this extent the con-
sumer5 have less to spend for other
hings which they might buy
This Inability to buy other things
keeps the standard of living from
'iSine. Because consumers are I'M
able to make savings new Jobs pro
nlclng other things are not created
There ore. the smaller, low income
farmers have less opportunity to
get into more productive work at
higher wages. They are doomed to
iiva with small allotments which
continue TO shrink Everybody suf
tcrs. Consumers would vote for
other nings but cannot save the
tollals to support their votes The
process of communication breaks
Town. The invisible hand" no long
n beckons toward opportunity
Meanwhile. farmers find it very
iifficult to shift the fragments Of
2ropland resulting from reduced al
ctments into profitable uses This
3auses them to turn to other enter
>rises even though the returns may
,e low. Thus. trouble is created for
other farmers.
To relieve this situation, supports
nd controls are extended Extend
ng supports and controls creates
more problems than it olive S.
farmers who might otherwise find
Ways to Shift into main or special
red production are now plagued
With fragments. The portions OF
heir resources which are cut off
rom the controlled crops by allot
nents are too small for profitable
Sc in the production Of other
hii,gs. So it goes, on and on, until
Il is controlled. in farming and
Their seglnents Of the economy It
a step by step process which
,omes about so gradually that the
Inmate results are concealed. For
his reason il is imperative that ne
should always preserve the right to
tepca. and the will to do so when
t becomes necessary.
Now. arresting growth and change
'esults in destroying freedom and
he benefits of science. Security is
bought at the price Of Stagnation.