Show I I INSI IN N b 5 I U D DE t EST 01 STU U I F FF h F The Thee B By News e PAUL J Behind h MALLON the News I WASHINGTON The The crop In Insurance insurance in in- idea sounds just about perfect Both presidential candidates candidates candidates can can- are for it Congressional candidates are stumbling over each other otherl to get on record in favor favor- of it Nobody is against It The government is working out the actuarial basis for it It seems like a sure thing yet thing yet do donot donot donot not be too sure There Is another another another an an- other side aide of the story which has not been fully developed Theory The plan under the Wallace conception would work like this A wheat farmer taking out in insurance insurance insurance in- in would be required to pay I premiums only in years of excess excess ex ex- cess production When bAs h yield per acre acre was average for his community he would pay noth noth- ing But in Jn bumper years he would pay a portion of his excess excess ex ex- cess production say two thirds to the government And he would pay In wheat The government would take this wheat and store it it paying the storage charges harges If drouth rust or grasshoppers came along next year and the same farmers farmer's yield per per- acre fell below average average average aver aver- age the government would pay a a. a portion say three-fourths three of his deficiency But this payment probably would not be made in wheat The government would have to sell its storage grain and end pay payS paySoff of off in cash Application The theory seems to be flawless flaw flaw- less Jess but when you start applying applyIng apply apply- ing it to wheat a I whole you run into difficulties In the first place it will require re require require re- re quire some system of production control else the government might accumulate more more grain than It could ever dispose of ot While federal control has been outlawed by the supreme court some some means of getting around the I f court decision will have to be found In fact they may try storage In the land land a a neat phrase which simply means the farmer would store his wheat by not planting it or by planting alfalfa instead But ut then there is the question quest question ques ques- t tion n of the wide variation In winten winter winter win win- ter ten wheat from from year to year In sections farmers get only two normal crops every five years In the wheat region as a whole bumper crops have been coming no more than two or three years out of ten In the bad areas if the premium is fixed on an honest honest hon lion est actuarial basis the rate would be almost prohibitive And in jn the best areas the farmers might not be particularly desirous of paying for a guarantee even If the rate based on risk plus storage and handling charges is low There is the question of what effect the the government storage would have on prices the tremendous tremendous tremendous tre tre- tre- tre arithmetical problem in involved involved in- in Involved in working out fair actuarial actuarial ac ac- ac- ac basis the prospect of government government government gov gov- losses etc Reservation Some heckler will undoubtedly arise to ask why if this Is such sucha a perfect scheme did no one think of it until six weeks before be before be- be fore election There are two or more answers to that One is farm experts have been thinking of it since long before a senate committee held hearings on the subject in 1923 Another is that actuarial data was lacking until the AAA dug up everything there is to know about every acre in the country The thing to remember is that all President Roosevelt has recommended recommended recommended mended is a study that congressmen congress congress- men selfishly Interested In their respective districts will have to pass pass on it and that theres there's many manya a a. slip between a study and a law t The h house gave the Townsend investigating committee special authority to make its report public public pub pub- lic lie during the campaign but no noone noone noone one has seen hide nor hair or it Just between you and the gatepost gate gatepost gatepost post the report was finished several several sev sev- several sev- sev eral weeks ago by Chairman Jasper Jasper Jasper Jas Jas- per Bell of the Investigating com corn It was sent to Speaker Bankhead of the house who knows something of the national aspect of the political campaign now in progress Mr Bankhead sent it back to Mr Bell for re re- re vision It may be made public before election but not in its original form I Speechless Vice President Garner is the only silent man manon on either side in inthe inthe inthe the campaign He came caine through Washington the other day but not a line was published because newsmen did not find out about It until he had gone on his way to Texas The V. V P. P will return for conferences conferences conferences confer confer- of the strategy board which includes Senators Robinson Byrnes and other other- congressional figures Who vho are haunting the capItal capital cap cap- ital again these days Jays now that their primary campaigns are over But the latest inside word is he will make one campaign speech instead of two and by next week the one will probably be cut to one The Progressive national committee committee com corn La Follette Norris et al Is promoting the reelection of Mr Roosevelt but will but will not take any mon money y or help from roni the Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic national committee The unannounced reason is s this Senator Senator Sen Sen- Senator ator Norris who has frequently attacked Chairman Jim Farley Fancy would not stand for it Copyright 1936 f for r The Telegram m. m |