| Show 0 finnon n raj K washington the department of agriculture and its stepchild the agricultural ri adjust speed new ment administration soil program lave launched the initial phase of the new soil conservation program tins this it will bo be remembered is the a agricultural benefit policy worked out to supersede the unconstitutional AAA and the speed with which the department has developed the early phases of its new mew program Is noteworthy it has not wasted tiny any time nor could it ltv waste aste time in order to make the alie new program effective in fill this crop year while th the work of policy making hns has gone on at an unusual speed for governmental ern mental procedure I 1 am afraid it cannot be said that tile the soundness of its program can be commended in tile the same manner some of the soil building practices proposed under the new nev scheme of aid to the farmer undoubtedly will work out but there are others about which there Is much doubt indeed already it has been pointed out that certain of the practices proposed are vulnerable and are likely to lead to serious trouble both for agriculture and for the government more than a score of the states were included in the first set of rules lind find regulations governing soil building practices and rates of pai ment the others are nearing hearing completion and will be promulgated at an early date cut but the first block of rules and regulations and rates of payment establish the general outline of the departments ideas and it can call be said I 1 think that in these rules and regulations tile the government must lay down general provisions lies the trouble they are replete with that which we usually describe as aa red tape and red tape never has failed to cause trouble practices for which farmers may receive payments vary from state to state they include the new seeding of legumes and grasses the plowing under of green manure crops the planting of forest trees the eradication of perennial noxious weeds and in certain areas a variety of special soil handling bandling methods such as listing strip cropping and fallowing following fal lowing terracing or approved summer fallow in addition farmers in certain dry land areas have the option of substituting some of tile the practices for acreage of soil conserving crops in announcing the new practices and rates of payment the agricultural adjustment administration declared that the policies follow in general the recommendations made to the adjustment administration by the several state committees it was declared that the sentiment throughout has been to adapt the general plan to the lie specific needs of the states in conformity with the hie approved methods which have been tested by the land grant colleges the experiment stations and soil conservation service the adjustment administration considered that these three agencies furnished the best basis or the best foundation for the construction of the generally new program it follows therefore that a considerable part of the new setup comes by way of expansion of the old soli soil conservation service which has had bad much experience peri ence in that work it cannot be said however that the new phases have been tested nor Is it more than conjecture how the farmers themselves will take to the plans now offered 0 just as the soil conserving practices vary so do the ra rates t es of payment as between the several payment states it Is the rates vary claim of the adjust ment administration that variation in rites rates Is que due largely to variations in the cost of seed in rates of seeding or to differences in the requirements with respect to soli soil building practices rates of payment for soil comery conservation aaion on irrigated land are ba higher her than for tho those e on I 1 dry ir y land and likewise long standing agricultural practices have lave been taken ta ken into account in calculating the rat rates es to be ald in various sections to offset the greater or less expense to which farmers normally ore are put in producing their crops generally in the dry land states the seeding and growing of perennial legumes such as alfalfa will not the farmer about per acre but in irrigated districts tho the rate of payment varies from to per acre for most states the rate tor for biennial legumes Is on non irrigated land and from to an acre on irrigated land rates kates of payment for gro growing ing sweet clover are somewhat less lis as are the rates of payment tor for growing annual legumes the rates tor for plowing under green manure crops are arc from to an acre depending upon the amount of growth which Is turned under for planting forest trees on crop land farmers are scheduled to be paid 5 00 an acre for wee eradication the pr program proposes to py pay an acre where only periodical cultivation Is reila I 1 I 1 pd but it will reward III allu fanner tor inking ik out weeds by he helical mical ik in ID addition tu to loy liy paying alua alia 1000 an nere in addition to these methods ot of soil conservation strip cropping and fallowing following fal lowing command about an acre ot of benefit to the farmer while terracing will be paid for around the basis of or on an acre other oilier states as they are brought under the soil conservation program may expect rates similar to these for tle tile first halt half of the country it Is obvious ho however heowener weNer that in the he more thickly populated areas where agriculture is carried on ilk la a more concentrated way new and different practices must be prescribed it Is certain also that those these practices must be made to take into account the varying I 1 apes pes of crops where farming Is done on smaller acreage per farm or in the fruit and truck garden accas Is 0 0 from tills this program two sets of 0 conclusions clu liac diac been drawn one school ot of thought maln opinions lons bains that the regu differ lations are simple and easy of enforcement the other group argues that it Is utterly impossible to apply rules and regulations administered from a central bureau in washington to the whole country and yet enable flexibility of management sufficient to meet the countless problems that will arise one conclusion is that by administration of the rules and all regulations through state lind and county organizations and with the aid of state experiment stations individual farmers cin can be advised and can work out their individual problems with case the other school of thou thought lit contends that tills this very fact means a perfect maze of different applications of the rules and regulations both its as to language and intent this group likewise maintains that favoritism will permeate the whole structure and that there will be injustice III will and politics in the way the local organizations deal with the farmers while the policy makers in the marble palace known as the department of agriculture contend fiat the soil conservation program will spell the end of surpluses and will accomplish better prices for what the farmers produce another argument stresses tile claim that hat the new program means dislocation of agricultural output and the market to which that output normally goes to go back a year or more it can be recalled how bov the original hial AAA upset the apple cart for one after aniber of the farm crops when land was withdrawn from cotton it went to tobacco production and there was too much tobacco there had find to be alib tobacco acco control when land was withdrawn from tobacco production it went to peanuts and there had to be peanut control and so it was with various other crops until there was a perfect network of crop control each basically working at something like a cross purpose with other things a As As the new soil conservation plans unfold those who doubt their ealic ICY point to numerous IFF find d new new liew dislocations that dislocations are comparable to those odthe of lie old AAA which I 1 have just enumerated for example it Is claimed and there seems to be justice in the claim the placing of a premium on growth groth of hay crops such as alfalfa albeke and clover can mean only an overabundance abundance oer of those crops I 1 do not say eliat it Is certain to occur but if conditions repeat themselves the prices for hay crops in the market are due to tall fall the law of supply and demand still governs regardless gard less of theory and regardless of the attempts of bureaucrats to plan which the farmer shall or shall not grow if coti consumption falls low crops of hay bay will be valuable the chances however seem to be wholly in the other direction time alone run can tell how this thing will out but I 1 cannot be believe eve any sound thinking person or all any y person who analyzes the pr through ugh to its ultimate end can say that it Is free from weaknesses the alie tragedy of the thing Is that government Is experimenting on the farmers with that I 1 am la not of in accord and neier can be further while I 1 dislike to disparage lonest efforts I 1 am afraid the new soll soil conservation program embodies some politics us well as efforts eu orts to help agriculture if it were ere a purely critical report of the soil conservation policies that I 1 am making to you I 1 would be inclined to add to the above analysis the assertion that these plans embody too much organization I 1 bae observed government administration from close at hand through a number of years there Is 13 one conviction that I 1 have gained that conviction Is that every time a new policy Is proposed that requires the scattering of government paid administrators executives field agents inspectors and countless other nomadic individuals clothed with will official authority throughout the he country just then does the policy fall fail of its purpose hands may make light oric hut but ninny many heads partly 1 1114 itie inalee it a iness E arn on |
