The Sidney herald., 1961-06-14

rzotarY'S action, local interest rates could
he forced to, say, go or less and all
credit functions would be absored by the il
government. furthermore, emergency
loans can be granted on the basis of am s.
economic crisis on specified crops. So s
wherever the Secretary thinks prices {
aren't right - in go emergency loans" r
furthermore, currently the government f
can make real estate loans only UP to :
$5OO 900 to each association for water a
and soil conservation. This is now
raised to $21S million per association. r
CTitle lid I
But in a system that imposes such
strict controls. many injustices will ap-
pear. Will moi the farmer ave a chance
for appeals?
Indeed he will. He can appeal to the
same body that imposed the rules in the
first place. The Secretary of Agricul-
tlIre is making certain that he and he
alone can reward as we'll as punish.
Will farmers vote for these schemes?
Put Yourself in their boots. The plan
provides that if the farmers are for the
plan, the prices will be supported up TO
900 of parity. If they aren't, the Secre-
Z tary will see to it that these prices are
} less than 500. That's like saying if you
S agree to work $50 as hard, you can
I earn $50 per week, but if you don't
4 agree TO work less, you can't have more
, than $50.
What would this Freeman scheme
cost?
Here is another paradox. The Secre-
: tary says that unless his proposal is
= passed, the cost of current firm pro-
a grams would be unbearable. But no
y price tag is attached to his scheme at
S all. It's completely ~open-ended. So in
y addition to further loss of freedom, the
q annual tax dollar costs could easily be
II double the present outlay. The Bran
N nan plan in '48 would have cost $40
IS billion and it was only half as inclusive.
k Won't this approach freeze the pat
Ie tern of farming?
&c Yes, it will, because all commodities are
involved and quotas are based on the
IS past. This means that the South, for
10 instance, which has been making re-
n markable progress toward diversified
N ton, will be forced to remain with cot
$ tion, or peanuts or tobacco. To change
u. will require an area to treat the Secre-
10 tary, his party and his henchmen right
s. in order TO get consideration for adjust
is mentS. Normal economic laws Will not
ne be permitted to operate successfully.
III Will farmers be forced TO take part in
es these government programs?
~ Yes, because drastic penalties are an
nounced in the bill and otherS will fol-
low. For example, if a farmer sells more
than the Freeman proposal allows, he
must pay a penalty of $50 of parity
&c value of the overSale. Furthermore
he lis presumed to have overSold twice as
le- much as he actually did!
&c But undoubtedly this is simply the
IL beginning of the pressure, for Professor
eo Cochrane FREEMAN scheme architect,
rs said, in the Journal of Farm Economics
November, 1859, that he looked toward
RI permanent controls and imposing ma.
ty jcrity views on the minority.
Lze by supply control / mean the con-
he sciouS adjustment of supply and demand
lid commodity y-commodity, year-after.
he year, to yield prices in the market thai
of lave already been determined as fan
IT. by some responsible agency. And l have
reference to a permanent set of inStitu.
tional controls 10 deal with a chronic
-. condition of overproduction i'm agricul-
nc ture.
re-? "Futher, since every commodity of an,
Importance i'm agriculture is produce
ire by many hundred 10 many thousand
Is producers it follows that a specific ag.
ND gregate adjustment can only be ach.
ieved by consistent adjustments on each
of these man. farms. Finally, since I'm
his animous agreement IN any collective
action is virtually impossible, it ais
,,o follows that the will of the maiordt,
II must be imposed upon the minority il
mrs amy effective supply control process III
al agriculture"
The planners do not props to use The
ers dangling carrot technique only. For al
i-o they argue, farmers won't be placed al
Is the mercy of the private market but vii
nc be forced to sell tC h government since
it will be more profitable. For instance
os in an interview with the managing
editor of Farm Quarterly, published in
1860. Professor Cochrane answered the
following question this way:
(QueS.) "After a few commodities
adopted supply control, do you think
others would be encouraged to follow
I'm suit?"
(Ans) "It would not be a matter Of
encouragement; some of them would be
,ba forced in"
the What are the chances of this scheme
passing?
all Prophesying in the Nations Capital is
at risky business. Every attempt will be
OF made TO pass it. New F~rontiersmen will
bait the traps sharpen the Ratchet Sc
the snares, exercise their cunning ano
shoot the POLITICAL works. With the help
of the AIIICIuSdiAo " DOhIONAoWS ASeAO
the in setting a fire under Congress" ano
the Farmers Union watching from want
ain ace points in the Department of Agri.
in cf1It,Ire and union bosses sharpening
re- their trading stock, v the Congress
men who know better will be hard pu
)m- TO defeat the Scneme. IL mgnt De Una
yin- the promise OF more IRON the Federa
Treaslmy will even dampen the fighting
snirit of some so-called farm leaders :
oe+ ugho ought TO raise up and smash thi
SSot ossaaIlt ON progress, prosperity and free
a' Jom This apparently has happened +
% the Council of Farm Cooperatives an,
eral the National Grange whose Master i
N EVENTS 4l0 First Street. Sc. "