Show Lt r Agricultural S Readjustment I rk j Seen as Postwar Must I r f V. V Farmer-Educator Farmer Stresses Need for More 17 v I- I v Efficient Farming More Attractive Life In Order to Maintain Production i k- k 1 L It J By BAUKHAGE t v t News and Commentator Y Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C Ever since the beginning of ot the year Washington has realized that one of ot the most important problems before it is demobilization It Isn't a future problem Its It's here Nearly a million and a quarter men have already been discharged from the army and navy since Pearl Harbor More than were physically disabled but excepting the severely wounded most of these can be absorbed into civilian ties of our economic and v social structure Is beginning Two weeks ago I discussed at some length in this column the George report on Since then has come the Baruch report on the same subject which was rapidly followed by executive action It looked as If It congress and the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House were in a race to see who would be first to start the colossal job 4 rb While attention Is being centered on readjustment of industry less attention attention at at- has been paid publicly to the thes necessary readjustments In agriculture ture which must come Because many ninny starving peoples will have to tobe tobe tobe be fed for some two years after alter the war is over the demand on the farmers for production of food and textiles should continue on somewhat the same basis as at present But adjustments will have to be made whether or not this high rate of oZ production Is maintained because any changes In our economic life are bound to affect the farmers One of the most important recent contributions to this planning for the adjustment of agriculture has been made by Dr Murray R. R Benedict a Wisconsin farm boy who is now a professor of agriculture in the University University University Uni Uni- of California He points out in a very thorough study of Farm People and the Land After the War Var released by the National Planning association that if it we want our peo- peo pie to be b adequately be-adequately and suitably fed and If we want our farmers and farm workers to be satisfied farming farmIng farm farm- Ing will wiIl have to be made more efficient efficient effi effi- and farm life more attractive both as a business and as a way of life I Political Reaction Unfortunately there is a great danger that such efforts will be frustrated frustrated frus frus- owing to the very natural political reaction of a democratic country long under federal regulation regulation regula regula- tion which Is necessary in wartime Once peace returns a free tree people is anxious to throw out its chest and start of off orr lustily paddling its own canoe again It must be remembered that up until 1870 the condition of agriculture ture shaped the entire anatomy o of the American body economic body economic political political social After 1870 industry industry indus indus- try developed to the point where It became the tail that wagged the agricultural dog Since 1870 the percentage of the population engaged In nonagricultural tural activities has remained either cither about stable or has shown a slight Increase The farm population I showed a decrease until now when I It h has s become fairly birly stabilized at about 30 million It would be possible provided certain certain tain Lain definite steps were taken either to increase the number of paying larm jobs fobs or to achieve greater production production production pro pro- with a fewer number ol of r workers so that we could have more mor or er less farmers according to production pro needs and still make it remunerative remunerative remunerative re re- to all According to Dr Benedict the normal normal nor nor- mal birth rate keeps the farm population lation just about stable unless sharp shari shifts to and from the farm ars are made The shifts do come and the they throw the whole farm picture ou out t of Df kilter This i where the tail tai 1 wagging the dog comes In for in ii ri time Ume of depression of course industrial in in- workers seek livelihood oi on a athe the farm and therefore have a ten I- I dency ency to glut the market market market-in In tim time e t I 1 I I of f boom the farm boy deserts the th e J fields elds for the cities and the better better- paying jobs J F Pour Four our Major F Factors r There are arc four factors which en can n take up or let out the slack 1 l A larger demand for farm en products at borne home or abroad j I 2 Decreasing the output per man manIn manin manin I In agriculture operations cutting down its hours or doin doing away with some of the m mechanization 3 Development of greater self selL sufficiency on the part of the farmers farmers farm tarm ers themselves 4 Something we would hardly want to see Immigration to less developed de countries except of course in in the case ease of places like Alaska where there is a need of ot settlers Another danger which besets the farmer and wl which ch regional planning would a avert vert is the sense of insecurity rity on the part of the farm people due to the tendency toward tenant operation of farms under time short tenures which naturally leads lends to inefficient inefficient inefficient in in- efficient farming bad living conditions conditions condi lack of continuity Then of ot course there is the ancient an dent bugbear of one crop farming partly inherited from slavery days and particularly noticeable in cotton agriculture Another factor is the wage labor situation in particular l localities also a heritage of another day which results in poor living conditions and unproductive and unsatisfactory un s satisfactory work Other disturbing factors actors f are the use of l lands ands or unsuitably located farms and then of course the problem of ot the exhaustion of resources with the thee c measure counter of conservation It is pointed out that the situation which met the pioneer in America resulted r In certain definite tendencies a cies oles les and traditions affecting the American attitude toward t ture ure These pioneer conditions of course ceased when there were nomore nomore no nomore more good new lands which could be opened up But their effect lives liveson on and has affected land policier ever since Dr Benedict lays las great stress on the fact that land policies which were well suited to the pioneer do donot donot not fit in at all with our modern economy and he emphasizes heavily t the he need of altering the tenant farm er situation In the old days a man i if f conditions were unsatisfactory could pack his family and belongings In I n a covered wagon cross the range and stake out a fresh claim for him him- hima self Now if it he has no place of his own he has to work on someone else's terms and like it The past two decades have brought clearly into view says Dr Benedict tt the insecurity and destructiveness of the American system t tern tem ern of tenancy the rapid deterioration tion of soils and the increasing di difficulty dif with wl which ch able young farmers farmers farm farm- farmers ers can become established on the l land and Three Improvements He believes that wise legislation could be put into action and three important improvements could be brought about 1 i Powerful incentive for the tenant tenant ten ten- ant to conserve the soil since he i would reap the benefits 2 Much more careful selection of ot tenants since removal of poor tenants tenants tenants ten ten- ants would be more difficult 3 Improved community status of those tenants who become established established established under arrangements of ot this kind Such Is a brief summary of the goals studied in la typical research now being done for the benefit of the farmer Unfortunately however as I 1 said earlier politics is bound to play a powerful role In the effort to secure any anywise wise legislation and with selfIsh selfish selfish self self- ish interests will make up the chief obstacle Circumstances will force action in regard to the and adjustment adjustment ad ad- adjustment of Industry in irs the present session of congress but it would bean be bean benn an nn optimist Indeed who would predict predict pre pre- dict diet that constructive farm legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion could be carried out In an election election election elec elec- tion year The farm lobby is one of the most powerful in hi congress but unfortunately pressure exerted by it frequently fails tails to have for its objective the general good of the countr country Proponents of certain measures may be really honest In expressing the wish of their particular lar constituents but the farm problem problem lem in America is so closely interwoven interwoven inter inter- woven with every phase of our life JUe social as well as economic that to envision it properly one must consider consider con con- sider the welfare of the entire nation nation na na- na tion not the special Interests of any anyone anyone anyone one particular locality |