Foreign Trade'^ Subject 



at Das Moines Conference 



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^^ /# WSE poliqr for ehe na- 



tion requires that the 

 conditions under which 

 those engaged in agriculture live and 

 labor shall be just and fair, and that life 

 on the farm should be attractive and 

 adequately rewarded. 



"In making duty reductions we are 

 guided by two basic principles. First, we 

 are opposed to prohibitive or embargo 

 rates, which are ruinous to agriculture 

 and to the nation as a whole. Second, 

 we take every precaution to safeguard 

 American producers from abnormal, un- 

 reasonable, or materially hurtful im- 

 ports." 



So spoke Secretary of State Cordell 

 Hull, in a vigorous defense of his trade 

 agreements policy at the Midwest Con- 

 ference on Foreign Trade, Des Moines, 

 Feb. 18-19. 



"It has been charged that the trade 

 agreements result merely in increased im- 

 ports without any corresponding advan- 

 tage for our exports," continued Hull. 

 "In 1937, as compared with 1936, our 

 imports increased by 661 million dollars ; 

 but our exports rose by 890 million dol- 

 lars. Excluding sugar (imports of which 

 are limited by quota), not as much as 5 

 per cent of our total agricultural imports 

 last year consisted of trade-agreement 

 items." 



Farm Income E>oubIe 



"The unvarnished truth is that in spite 

 of all the agitation about imports, cash 

 farm income in the United States (ex- 

 cluding benefit payments) was half a 

 billion dollars greater in 1937 than in 

 1936 and double what it was in 1932. 



"It has been charged that our most- 

 favored-nation policy, under which we 

 grant to all countries not discriminating 

 a.gainst our exports the reduced rates of 

 duty which we grant in each trade agree- 

 ment, is a case of 'giving away something 

 for nothing.' It is nothing of the sort. 



"We give other countries these con- 

 cessions only if they give us like treat- 

 ment as to concessions which they grant 

 to third countries. 



"The policy is designed to safeguard 

 our export trade against severe discrimin- 

 ation to which it would certainly be sub- 

 jected on a vast scale if we, ourselves, 

 followed a policy of discrimination in- 

 stead of treating all countries alike." 



For two days the argument went 

 'round and 'round, pro and con, as farm- 

 ers, farm leaders, editors, government 

 officials, and professors looked at all 



CORDELL HULL SECRETARY OF STATE 

 "The unTamished truth is . . . ." 



angles of "The Farmers' Stake in Experts 

 and Imports." 



M. L. Wilson, Under-Secretary of 

 Agriculture said "the essential problem 

 of agriculture is the production of sur- 

 pluses in excess of domestic consump- 

 tion." He believes that agriculture will 

 gain most by a recapture of exp)ort mar- 

 kets through a common sense trade agree- 

 ment policy in conjunction with a re- 

 adjustment downward of surplus crops 

 based on a sound soil conservation policy. 



Cards Always Stacked 



Edward A. O'Neal of Alabama, presi- 

 dent of the American Farm Bureau Fed- 

 eration declared that "until the reciprocal 

 trade agreement program, nothing ever 

 was done to give agriculture a square 

 deal in tariff revision the cards al- 

 ways have been stacked against the farm- 

 er when it comes to the tariff. And by 

 the 'American market for the American 

 farmer,' I most certainly do not mean a 

 ton of protection for industry for every 

 ounce given agriculture. 



"The proposed agreement with the 

 United Kingdom offers the largest op- 

 portunity yet presented to secure conces- 

 sions for our agricultural exports in our 

 largest potential market in return for 

 concessions to the United Kingdom on 

 her industrial products. This will offer 

 a real test of whether industry is going 

 to take a purely selfish attitude." 



John Vesesky of Kansas, president of 

 the National Farmers Union, added his 



support to revise the tariffs downward 

 through a trade agreement policy. 



Harper Sibley, chairman of the agri- 

 cultural department of the Chamber of 

 Commerce of the United States praised 

 the State Department for its progress in 

 boosting foreign trade and good will 

 among nations. 



L. J. Taber, Ohio, master of the Na- 

 tional Grange and Charles W. Holman, 

 National Cooperative Milk Producers 

 Federation both denounced the reciprocal 

 trade agreements. Hull and Wilson had 

 the support of a vast majority of those 

 attending the conference. — Cap Mast. 



Ransom Elevator Has 



Junior Farmers Dinner 



Because their farmers' elevator has 

 meant much to the community, the Farm- 

 ers' Elevator Company of Ransom, La- 

 Salle county, last year invited young 

 stockholders and sons of stockholders to 

 a Junior Farmers Banquet to acquaint 

 them with the true, broad value of the 

 institution. 



More than 1 50 young farmers attended 

 the second annual banquet, Feb. 16, in 

 the Ransom Methodist Church. Edward 

 Strobel, treasurer, who has been a direc- 

 tor since the elevator group was organ- 

 ized 30 years ago, was the principal 

 speaker. 



Six Cent Margins 



Mr. Strobel outlined the history of the 

 organization. He spoke of the six cent 

 margins that privately owned elevators 

 were extracting from grain growers in 

 the community 30 years ago. He pointed 

 out that cooperative marketing had re- 

 duced margins and made grain worth 

 from two to four cents more per bushel 

 at Ransom every day for 30 years. 



"When young farmers know that their 

 elevator stock is worth many times its 

 market value, they will think twice be- 

 fore they trade it for a second hand car," 

 comments Harrison Fahmkopf, manager 

 of Illinois Grain Corporation, who at- 

 tended the banquet. 



Directors of the Ransom elevator are: 

 Elgy Birtwell, president; A. J. Gahm, 

 vice-president; E. E. Stevenson, secretary; 

 Edward Strobel, treasurer; Mark Wid- 

 man, A. E. Ryan, R. F. Porter C. W. 

 Wellman is manager. 



Auto workers must organize as con- 

 sumers as well as producers if they are 

 to control prices and actually increase 

 their standard of living, declares Hom- 

 er Martin, president of the United 

 Auto Workers of America. He says 

 that rising prices immediately ate up 

 the increased wages won by union or- 

 ganization. 



MARCH, 1938 



27 



