The people's voice., 1958-11-28

where it costs more to get the same
output from an acre, but it is driving
the farmer further from his markets,
and thus multiplying transportation
costs. Higher freight and trucking
charges probably will be the first eff
feet to be felt seriously.
What is more, mounting tax rates
in the suburbanized areas build up
pressures to boost on-the-farm prices.
Thus far, the average industrial
workers family spends only about
one-fourth of its income for food.
In some countries food costs have
mounted to as much as 70 per cent
of the average income. What happens
to the living standard is obvious.
PARTIAL SOLUTION SEEN
The comparative few who have
given much thought to this problem,
which concerns the city dweller even
more than the farmer, say there is
partial solution to this problem. 1t is
better planning for the areas into
which cities are destined to expand
by zoning the most productive farm
lands near cities for continued agri-
cultural use and continuing to tax
them only at rural values.
But the economics of the situation
may be overwhelmingly against this
solution; and unless the dollar values
that multiply upon the acres coveted
for urban expansion are subordinated
to the need for low-cost food produc-
ton, more and more of the good earth
will be buried under brick and mortar,
cement and highway materials.
Studies made by the U. S. Soil Con-
servative Service show that good
farming land is being devoured by
the growth of cities at the rate of |
more than 100000 acres a year
and this is accelerating as population
increases. Almost all the population
growth since World War II has been
in areas formerly rural, but today
converted into suburbs, highways, fac
tory sites, airplane fields, shopping
centers, military establishments, and
other Improvements" of modern
technology.
A study by the SCS made a few
years ago revealed that between 1912
and 1856 about 100000 acres of
good crop land was diverted from
cultivation-mainly for suburban de-
and highway construction.
1t was estimated that this conversion
was equivalent to 5 per cent of our
total cropland acreage of about 400,-
100000 acres, or about 225,OOO aver
age farms and ranches, for it was
,he better farms generally that were
aiken.
Superhighways and thruways alone
accounted for considerable part of
his, for today's express highways re-
Iuire so to 60 acres of land per mile, |
and ordinary first-class highways take
about 25 acres a mile.
MANY FARMERS PROFIT
A recent survey of the situation
made for the SCS by A. B. Beaumont,
its state conservationist in
Massachusetts,, indicated that there is
little concern on the
,art of farmers themselves for this
development.
He found that many farmers whose
and was valued at few hundred dol
ars, when the neighborhood remained
ural, were able to sell at several
housand dollars an acre when real
state developers or industrial cor
'orations wanted their farms. He
tied an example in Bergen county,
T. J., where vegetable farm of %
cres was sold for $4,000 an acre,
nd another in the Los Angeles River
alley, Calf, where an alfalfa and
can farm of 1872 acres went for
10000 an acre.
He also cited a case in which the
otal taxes on a farm of 152 acres
ear Los Angeles increased from
1000 in 1852 to $4,000 in 1856,
laking it next to impossible to carry
n farm operations.
The strongest factor in determining
axes in most recently urbanized areas
the building and maintenance of
chools, Beaumont pointed out. Forty |
, En 49, ooo+ of tho rao1 fa =