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Show Agriculture Chief j Hails Farm Plan During his stay in Utah Undersecretary Under-secretary Milburn L. Wilson of the United States Department of Agriculture Agri-culture took issue with a widely circulated franked statement of Pertrand H. Snell, minority leader of the House of Representatives, respecting re-specting farm imports. He branded the statement as misleading and by implication a deliberate misrepresentation. mis-representation. "Mr. Snell," he declared, "takes comfort, or discomfort, from certain cer-tain increases in importations and uses the years 1932 and 1937. "Generally, let me say that the 1932 figure represents a country with little buying power, domestic or foreign, few sales of any products, pro-ducts, and as little foreign trade as we have had since. "How he dare mislead the farmers farm-ers respecting imports of corn and' wheat I do not know. Imports of corn and wheat, which were stimulated stimu-lated not by competition, but by severe drouths in the United States, have practically ceased since the 1937 harvest and in recent months we have exported vast quantities of these products. Nor did farm Imports of 1937 set any record. The records were all set during the relatively heavy exporting period following the world war and through the twenties. The current period of disposition of farm products pro-ducts internationally makes of the United States an ambitious and heavy exporter and a relatively mild importer nation, with the balance strikingly in favor of outgoing out-going foreign shipments of pre-duce. pre-duce. "I have been astonished to hear propaganda concerning the national nation-al imports. I am assured by a number num-ber of your Utah leaders that prices here have not greatly affected them, and I know the national government gov-ernment farm administration knows that the reports have been greatly over-rated and are comparatively Insignificant. The farm export market in 1932 was the lowest in forty-two years. "The value of the rising tide of exports since that period can be no more clearly demonstrated than In three of the commodities which Congressman Snell seeks to emphasize em-phasize to carry his point, namely that these commodities are being Imported In great abundance. This being true, how much more satisfying satis-fying to the farmers is our foreign following enactment of ffie government govern-ment sugar program, the producers received $6.15 per ton. My figures Indicate that they will receive $7.28 for the 1937 crop including soil conservation con-servation payments. "I understand the place sugar beets occupy in the economy of Utah. I know that Utah has small family farms largely dependent on sugar beets. I know that there are practical limitations in trying to restrict acreage when you get down to the little farm. Your Congressional Congres-sional Delegation in Washington have made your problems evident to Secretary Wallace and me, and efforts in fairness account largely for the 1939 sugar beet quota of 1,300,000 acres. In only one year has sugar beet acreage in the United Unit-ed States exceeded that figure when it was 3,120,000 acres. "Utah farmers should be mindful of the fact that their cash, income rose from $25,427,000 in 1932 to $45,842,000 in 1937. It is safe to say that with a vigorous administration of the modern AAA Act, Utah products pro-ducts will never become as nearly valueless again. Cattle and calves rose from $3,712,000 in 1932 to $5,472,000 in 1937. Wheat jumped from $1,235,000 to $2,625,000. Sheep and lambs from $2,074000 to $6,-076,000. $6,-076,000. Milk income increased 40 percent, truck crops 178 percent, and poultry and eggs 51- percent." j trade when we visualize our net exports ex-ports over imports for the year ending end-ing June 30, 1938 on these same commodities as follows: I Corn .- 68,829,000 bushels I Wheat 99,526,000 bushels Pork 204,961,000 pounds I "Farming is the basic industry of this country, and the administration administra-tion knows this. "Many farmers may not remember remem-ber this, but the AAA idea came from the farmers. President Roosevelt originally called in forty farmers and asked them for a program. pro-gram. This was the origin of the game program of today. "The farmer who is affectionate toward a controlled crop like wheat and sugar, but indifferent to an uncontrolled un-controlled crop is not familiar with all phases of the agricultural program pro-gram and is looking only at the one aspect. For example, congress provided that one third of the revenue rev-enue from import duties may be expended to remove depressing surpluses from the market. This gives to dairy and poultry industries indus-tries and the growing of vegetables and fruits a stability which these activities have long needed and refutes the charge that the government govern-ment program tends toward scarcity. scarci-ty. Moreover, the Commodity Credit Corporation has loaned dairy cooperatives the purchase price of 60,000,000 lbs. of butter within the past few months. There is more butter in storage in this country today than ever before, a fact accounting ac-counting for the present price,- Instead In-stead of ten cent butter. The government gov-ernment may sell it at a time and price not disturbing to your market or distribute it to the unemployed and needy, and this too would not disturb your market. "Let me clear up all of these figures on sugar once and for all. The 1932 crop of sugar beets in Utah brought the producers $4.77 per ton, and in 1933 the producers received $4.80 per ton, and in 1934. |