OCR Text |
Show Fuiure fioyress For Farmers Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard has made public an agenda of subjects to be discussed dis-cussed in connection with the post-war needs and desires of agriculture. Mr. Wickard foresees an increased in-creased demand for food and fibre, with the need to reclaim and settle 40,000,000 acres of land to become available through drainage, irigatiron and clearing. This is rather courapeous in view of the huge surpluses that were piled up by our farmers in pre-war years. It apparently supposes an economic era of high income, which is necessary if the people are to purchase food and fibre on a larger basis than ever before. It is interesting to observe that Mr. Wickard is also favorable to a new improved parity formula for farm prices. This is desirable if agriculture is to be given anything any-thing like a fair share of the nation's income on the basis of population. The new formula is a post-war enterprise. The Secretary does not propose that we attempt to correct inequalities by high pressure, pres-sure, in the midst of war. This is right in our opinion. The farmers farm-ers of the nation are entitled to additional consideration but they can well afford to delay pressure tactics until the war is won. |