Milford chronicle., 1958-10-10
SET THE FARMER FREE!


In a lashing editorial on the folly and
failure of our governments agricultural pol
icies, publisher Tom Anderson of Farm And
Ranch writes: Government control will
work only in Heaven where they don't need
it or in hell where they already have it. Let's
get the government OUT Let's set the farmer
freew
1t is argued, of course that government
supports and controls are essential to the
very existence of farming, and that chaos
would reign if they were dropped or even
materially reduced in size and scope. But
those arguments have a mighty tenuous base
so far as fact is concerned. All of the evil
dence indicates that the surplus problem has
been the direct and inevitable result of long
established government policy. Instead of
producing to meet public demand, farmers
produce to meet political condition.
For example, DR.. Herrsll De Graft of
Cornell, who is one of the most highly re-
garded agricultural economists in the coun-
try, has said this: "Over the past 35 years,
during which sO-called surpluses have been
almost chronic, a modest go increase in live
stock could have eaten up all of the surpluses.
This would have happened had agriculture
been free" Other agricultural economists
are now emphasizing the need for an expand
ing animal agriculture which, incidentally,
is free market agriculture.
Meat animals convert grains into foods
which practically everyone wants, needs and
likes. 1t would certainly seem high time the
government thought in terms of putting
crops to productive uSe-instead of into stor-
age. That will be done if we set the farmer
free to produce what consumers will buy.
&H@&&
RUSSIA'S RAILROADS
Anyone who thinks that railroads are
becoming an obsolete form of transportation
whose Importance is due to steadily dimin-
ish would be wise to take look at what is
going on in Russia. For the communist pol
icy-makers, whatever else may be said of
them, are hardheaded men, who deal with
the realities.
The head of an American railroad tells
the story. The war did enormous damage to
RussiaS transportation plant. When re-
building began, the Russians had a choice.
They could have built giant highway sys-
tenn, as Hitler had done in Germany. And
they could have done it as a relatively small
cost in labor and materials.
But the Russian rulers, instead, embark
ed on a massive rail program. Big freight
cars of the most modern type are becoming
standard. DieSelS and electricS are replacing
steam locomotives. In one decade, more than
half of the mileage has been relaid with new
and heavy rail. The men in the Kremlin
know that the Russian economy and the Rus
sian defensive system are more dependent
on railroads than on any other means of
moving goods and people.
What is true of Russia is true of any other
big nation, the United States included. That
is why Congress, after sweeping hearings.
passed major new transportation legislation
last session, and why every expert believes
that much more must still be done if our
financially distressed railroads are to get
back on their feet. AS Hal Thompson, finan-
cial columnist of the Chicago American
writes: q. . railroads are vital to our defense
and should be kept financially healthy"
DIET is A KEY
Consider two related facts One is that
various physical problems cf old age, in
Guiding even such things as senile blindness
and to some extent poor memory, can be min
imized by proper diet. The other is that many
old persons do not have the nutritional knowl-
edge or financial resources to assure that
they will have the kind of foods they need.
These facts add up to one of the quiet,
but nonetheless poignant, tragedies of old
age. When people become old they often lose
interest in making sure that their diet is ade-
quate. In many cases, this indifference is
complicated by the failure to realize that
anything is wrong with the diet. And then
there is the disturbing fact that many old
people do not have an income that will pro-
vide enough nutritious food.
There is nothing new about this prob
lem, but there are two new factors that
should heighten interest in it. The percent
age of aged persons in our population is
steadily rising. Fortunately, knowledge
about how proper diet can improve the health
and mental outlook of the aged is also on the
increase.
This knowledge should be applied on. a
much broader scale than at present. In so
ciety as wealthy as ours, no citizen in his Oh
her declining years should be denied suffici-
ont hoolthf1l food 4O 10 tb0co oe