GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 889 



upon a recommendation of the Department of Agriculture Postwar 

 Committee, away back in January 1944, which I mil read. It is very 

 brief: 



The agricultural production of the United States should be adjusted to national 

 requirements with due regard for export demand and desirable imports. 



Here is the proposed progi-am. 



First, as I say, an over-all plan for agriculture. You have got to 

 have it. As a matter of fact, our entire production has got to fit in 

 with the world plan. To my mind one of the most encouraging 

 things has been done for a long time in America is not our cold-war 

 program, not even so much or exclusively, the Marshall plan, but the 

 inclusive plan of the international wheat agreement, with wheat-pro- 

 ducing and primarily wheat-consuming countries represented. That 

 was a step toward peace, recognizing the world's needs for food. 



I am not worried over so-called communism in any country where 

 folks are prosperous. I think they tend to become acquisitive as soon 

 as they get prosperous, but they certainly are not Communists. 



The second suggestion is this: It is part of our general program 

 that we have to reduce the cost of production of things. As a matter 

 of fact, nothing by itself is worth much now, in America. I doubt if 

 a mortgage or a bond or share of stock or land or anything else is 

 worth much except for the money that Government is spending. If 

 the Federal Government cut its budget by $15,000,000,000 tomorrow, 

 we should have chaos in this country. So we all know we have to 

 look at it from the general standpoint and reduce the cost of produc- 

 tion, instead of handing out more and more money, as subsidies. 



Sometimes when I am feeling a little discouraged I feel that de- 

 mocracy in America has degenerated into the art of passing the buck 

 to providence, and the bill to posterity. Posteritj^ has arrived, be- 

 cause we started that something like 20 years ago, and posterity has 

 done caught up with us. 



So we suggest the gradual transfer of taxes on farm buildings and 

 equipment to farm land values, to stop speculation in farm land and 

 encourage production. 



Three, a Government marketing corporation empowered to process 

 and distribute farm products, utilizing both producers' and con- 

 sumers' cooperatives. 



Fourth, reduction of freight and trucking rates, which is in my 

 judgment very important. It is part of the program to reduce costs 

 of production and distribution of farm products. 



Fifth, Government action to end the exorbitant prices of things 

 farmers have to buy, so as to reduce their cost of production. 



Sixth, more cooperative farming. 



Some official, I can't identify him from memory, in the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, remarked some years ago that we had probably 

 about 1,000,000 too many farmers trying to produce commercially in 

 the United States. Today, under present conditions, I don't know 

 w^hether that is exactly correct or not. But it is quite obvious that 

 a small farmer with very little experience, where the owner or tenant 

 has very little capital and not much experience cannot produce effi- 

 ciently. Large-scale farming has not been due entirely to the wicked- 

 ness of the owners of those large farms but due to the fact that we 

 are recognizing the same thing that industry did, that mass produc- 

 tion, and only mass production, under wise direction permits lower- 



