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Show Deflation Must Not Begin on Agriculturist, Candidate Tells Congressman WASHINGTON, May 25. Decrease In agricultural production may result re-sult In this country becoming dependent depend-ent on overseas food supplies, Herbert Her-bert Hoover declared today in a letter let-ter to Representative Itcdlck. Republican, Repub-lican, Montana, sotting forth the former food admlnstrator's views "as to practical measurs to insure bettor returns to the farmer for his labqr and Investment." Mr. Hoover suggested the creation of a commission composed of highly j trained farmers and skilled econo- . mists and financial exports to consider the causes and remedies for tho situation. situ-ation. Asserting that tho present high prices of commodities will "'sooner or later" decrease, Mr. Hoover said "this deflation must not begin on the farmer." Shortacf! in nrnrlifnf Inn outside the United States, wild extravagance ex-travagance and misueo of extended credits for speculation and profiteering profiteer-ing and non-essential production aro contributing factors In the present; inflated prices. he wrote. When the' collapse occurs,' ho predicted. Inter-j mediate dealers "will be able to pass the greatest portion to tho back of the farmer, no matter how carefully (handled." I "War deterioration in our transpor-j i - I tatlon facilities has created periodic strictures in the frco flow of food from the 'farm to tho consumer," tho letter stated. "This has compelled tho consumer to buy during a local shortage short-age and the farmer to sell his products during a local glut. Tho continued Inflation In-flation of credits since the armistice has extended speculation and profiteering profi-teering by expanding the borrowing facilities to any food distributor who wanted lo indulge in such practices and has widened the margin between .the farmer and his market, likewise Increasing the prices of supplies that the farmer must pay." Tho burden of taxation is wrongly distributed, Mr. Hoover declared, I pointing out that tho excess profits tax "is nn appointment to food manufacturers manufac-turers and distributors to collect taxes for the government by adding them to tho margin between the farmer farm-er and tho market. System Wasteful "The while marketing system In many of our commodities is Indirect expensive, wasteful, obsolete and Increases In-creases the margin unduly," the letter continued. "Oifr manufacturing Industries In-dustries have dovolopcd out of pace 'with our agriculture and labor is being be-ing drawn In thousands from the farm to the town at wages with which the farmer cannot contend." ,A commission studying tho whole situation, Mr. Hoover declared, would deal with these things with that same common sense with which similar commissions of farmers met the great economic problems of tHo food administration ad-ministration during the war with eapal consideration for farmer, distributor dis-tributor apd consumer. |