Evening Star Newspaper, November 27, 1934, Page 13

VALUE OF FARMS | CENSUSEXPLAINED Austin Says 1935 Study, Huge in Scope, to Aid All Industries. (Continued From Twelfth Page) | oy oA G ¥l Latin word, and implies the essential | need of the statesmen for accurate| statistics These basic figures must be up-to- date and must have the stamp of cer- tainty. While estimates may be suf- ficient for many purposes, we must have a factual foundation for check-| ing these calculations, and a check, is required every few vears to keep estimates from cumulative errors. This foundation is provided only by a cen- sus. or enumeration. In other words, the check-up be- comes & necessity. not only for the transaction of ordinary governmental business and for the proper determina- tion of policy, but also very necessarily for all allotment programs in times of emergency. At the present time these allotment programs vary from the crop and livestock allocations of the Agri- cultural Adjustment Administration to! the unemployment of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Joans of the Farm Credit Administra- tion and for the allocation of funds of the emergency agencies. Drought Has Strong Effect. The pressing need for new agricultural figures at the is accentuated by the drought of the past vear and the depression which | has been with us since the Fall of 1929. The drought I resulted in tremendous changes b vroduc- | tion quring the past year, which are very difficult to calculate because most | crops are estimated upon the basis of planted rather than harvested acreage. | Ordinarily no a ent is made in the minor crops because i been found u tical purpeses a check on failure been needed only upon wheat and cotton. Some of the benefic features of al Adjustment Adminis- | r gram have been in reality type of crop insurance. Probably never again in our generation will we { have a season when it will be possible | ely maximum crop Jesses and to record the basic statistics which are necessary for any crop in- gurance program T has also made it neces- sary to revamp present statistics as | well as metheds of procuring and yecording them. The unpret “m‘mrd‘ shifting of millions of cattle presents another problem to the agricultural statisticians. Therefore new base figures are absolutely essential. Depression Shifts Studied. Looking at the problem from the human angle. we find it is necessary to know the movement of farm popt tion due to the depression. The agri- cultural eensus of 1930 indicated that a movement back to farms had begun. Many people are thought to have re- turned to the farm. while the usual | flow of young people from farms to | cities has been greatly reduced. At the present time. in certain areas. it is believed that the flow to the cities has begun. both because of resumption of more normal urban conditicns and because of changes in the farm set-up resultant upon the control of crop production. No method of estimating has been fcund which will satisfactorily indi- cate the present movement. In addi- tion to the basic agricultural statistics which are needed ation s necessary at pre such pro- grams as rural el tion. farm housing and the other campaigns for the betterment of American life, which are being seriously proposed for the first time. Facts Always Important. All of these emergency needs may gomewhat outweigh the ordinary de- mands for agricultural data., However, in the transaction of the usual busi ness for the Nation fundamental farm information is necessary to those pur- chasing and selling commodities, the | transportation of goods, the planning and rerouting of traffic, the outline of | sales and advertising campaigns, the granting of credit, the regulation of national exchange and exports, the planning and conduct of business in general, and all long-range planning which has to do with population. Many believe that the future destiny of the United States depends upon the solution of problems with which we are now confronted. These prob- lems must be settled upon the basis of facts disclosed by the coming agri- cultural census. In addition to the help that the | readjustments which have been caused agricultural census will be to the throw light upon numerous agri- cultural and sociological problems. Machinery’s Use Known. Among these may be mentioned: The replacement of farm labor by heavy farm machinery: the subsmu-' tion of tractors for farm horsepower, with its entailed decrease in acreage for feed crops and the resultant build- ing up of national surpluses; the pro- duction of milk per capita; the change in acreages of principal fruits and vegetables, and consequent changes in the diet of the American people; the effects of rapid automobile transporta- tion upon areas adapted to growing early vegetables and fruits: the de- termination of whether our birth rate and age calcvlations are correct, and dozens of other economic and socio- logical problems too numerous to mention in a brief broadcast. Because of these manifold needs of the emergency agencies and of the farm, business and scientific interests, this agricultural census appears to be the most important one that has been taken for many years. It should prove .i most valuable guide for future ac- tion. Magnitude of Task Shown. Some idea of the magnitude of the task we now are undertaking may be gleaned from calculations based upon the more than 6.000.000 farms re- corded in 1930. These farms totaled nearly 1,000,000,000 acresand cropswere harvested from approximately 359,- 000,000 acres. The farm population was over 30,000.000, or 24.8 per cent of the total of the United States. The broader classification, “rural popula- tion,” which is the population residing In places of less than 2,500 and on farms, was. at that time, almost 54.- 000.000, or approximately 43.8 per cent of the country's population. The schedule for the 1935 farm cen- sus comprises 100 major questions and 15 divided into eight basic sections. Al- though it covers practically all of the principal items of interest to the farmer, there are only about one-third as many questions as in the fifteenth decennial census, taken in 1930. The farm schedule for 1935 was developed as a result of the combined delibera- tions and judgments ol officials of the Census Bureau, Department of Com- merce; Agricultural Adjustment Ad- ministration, Department of Agricul- ture, and other interested Federal, Btate and private agencies, It has been designed to provide for gathering the greatest possible amount & basic information which can be as- | dividual return made by each farmer | ployes are required to know the law {in 1934 and production. For vege- ! toes. sweet corn and green beans will emergency agencies, this census Will | tions of this year. sembled rapidly and tabulated in a! minimum of time. The resulting sta- | tistics are required at the earliest pos- sible moment in order that agricuiture may be assisted in going ahead with other industries next year. Some time between January 2 and ! January 31, 1935, every farm in the United States will be visited by one of the army of 25,000 enumerators. For census purposes, & farm is all the land which is directly farmed by one person, either by his own labor or with the assistance of members of his household, or hired employes. The land operated by a partnership is like- wise considered a farm. A farm may | consist of a single tract of land, or of a number of separate tracts, and these several tracts may be held under dif- ferent tenures, as when one tract is' owned by the farmer and another tract is rented by him. When a landowner has one or more tenants, renters, croppers or managers the land operated by each is consid- ered a farm. Thus, on a plantation the land operated by each cropper is reported as a separate farm, and the land op- erated by the owner or managed by means of wage hands is likewise re- ported as a separate farm. No report is required of a farm’of less than three acres, unless its products in 1934 were valued at $250 or more. Enumerators in Area. ‘The agricultural census enumerators who make the canvass will be selected from the rural districts where the farms are located. In every instance the enumerator must be a legal resi- | dent of his enumeration district and every effort will be made to appoint for these positions, as far as possible, farmers, farmers’ wives, sons and daughters. A census test as to quali- fications, character, standing in the community, organization and adminis- trative abi and tact will be required | before any appointment is made. Furthermore, each enumerator, as well as all other census employes, is sworn to secrecy regarding these re- ports. The law provides that the in- is absolutely confidential All em- and penalties imposed for disclosure of information. I want particularly to impress every farmer with the fact that his report will not be used as a basis for taxation nor communicated to any tax official The census enumerator will procure, | first, the name and address of the farm operator and the owner of the farm, as well as items showing the farm population, movement from cities and | farm labor: next. the details of the farm acreage, which includes crop land harvested, idle land, crop failure, plowable pasture and other grazing land. woodland and all other, includ- ing farm waste land. Acreage and Output. Then will follow the acreage and production of the principal crops. The expansion of relatively new crops. such as soybeans and Japan clover, will be recorded. These crops have been used widely in the drought area. The meas- ured effect of the drought will be shown in the changes in yield of crops and in the amount and extent of crop failure. In addition to the so-called major crops. records will be made of the leading fruits and vegetables. For apples, cherries, peaches. pears, plums and prunes, citrus fruits and grapes the items will be numbers of trees or vines of bearing and non-bearing age tables the acreage of cabbages, toma- be shown. Although the census will be somewhat restricted, it is necessary to show vegetables because of the very marked change in American diet which has occurred in the last 20 vears, and because this change is so accurately reflected by the statistics just men- tioned. Among the outstanding changes in the consuming habits of our people in- | dicated by the past two censuses of agriculture is the great increase in the amount of certain vegetables used, par- ticularly during the Winter months, and in the increased use of fruits and nuts. These changes are due, in part, to the new dietary information re- lating to the vitamins, particularly, and, in part, to rapid transportation direct from farm. Increases during the past decade are indicated also in the consumption of milk and eggs. both | being important sources of vitamins. Live Stock to Be Listed, An inventory of the principal items of live stock on farms January 1, 1935, will be taken. These will include horses and horse colts under 2 years of age, mules and mule colts; cattle by age and sex; sheep, sows and swine, and number of goats. Of the live stock production items for 1934, milk. butter, wool and mohair will be included. New aid will be furnished the milk and dairy interests in solving one of the most difficult agricultural prob- lems of the day. These figures will record also the changes that have been brought about by shipment of milk cows and beef cattle from the drought areas and will give us a picture of the by the unprecedented weather condi- The number of chickens and turkeys on hand the 1st of January. 1935, will be recorded. Almost every housewife will be interested in these items be- cause of the effects of the drought upon poultry numbers and production. Some, if not all, of the farmers re- siding 1n an enumeration district will know the enumerator personally, and I want to impress them with the fact that they will do well to see that an accurate report is returned for their district. With the vast program now being carried on by the Government 1o assist agriculture. an inaccurate report might very easily react to the disadvantage of the farmers in that particular district. When tabulation is completed. the data gathered will furnish a detailed statistical picture of agriculture. Many Persons Quit Farms. For a decade prior to the depression about 2.000.000 more people left the farms yearly than arrived on farms. Most of these migrants were young people moving to the cities. But dur- ing the depression this migration is believed to have been reversed, and there are several million more young people now on farms than there would have under pre-depression conditions. Farm population in the United States has apparently risen to a higher point than ever before. The population figures of the farm census will show the magnitude of this back-to-the-land movement, where the people have gone, what they are doing. and whether the subdivision of farms has as yet set in. We also need answers to many other questions be- fore we can have an entirely satis- factory land-use program. You probably recall that there has been considerable discussion in the past few vears relative to programs which would involve the partial de- centralization of industry and part- time farming. It would not be pos- sibie to undertake such projects with- out these statistics. Western Acreage Mounts. Furthermore, vast regional shifts in lard utilization occurred between 1920 and 1930. an increase of crop area totaling over 30,000,000 acres taking place in 1.130 counties located in the Great Plains region, while a decrease of over 30.000,000 acres occurred in 1.940 counties located mostly in the Eastern and Southern States. It is necessary to know if this shift in land utilization has ceased and if the less desirable land of the East and South n | cured by writing or calling at the farm jto vear under pressure of public de- 'N. W. BURCHELL THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1934 is coming back into agricultural use. Vast regional changes in the pro- duction of various crops and live stock products occurred between 1919 and 1929, notably the development of cot- ton production in Texas and Okla- homa and its decline in Georgia and i | South Carolina; likewise, an increase of wheat acreage in the Central Plains and a decline east of the Mississippi; also an extraordinary increase of milk production in the States west of Lake Michigan. Agricultural interests must know if these trends persist, or if there has been a reversal of these pre-depression trends, particularly in the East and Southeast. Likewise, it is necessary to know what is happening in the cut-over | lands of the Lake States, in the hill | lands of the Southern Appalachians | and in the valleys of the Pacific Coast. : Valuable to Many Agencies. Among the agencies having nu- merous programs expected to remedy maladjustments in American life that will benefit from the agricultural census are those which have to do | with acreage adjustments, subsistence homesteads, marginal lands, land utilization, soil erosion, farm credit, farm housing and labor and unemploy- ment. Of course, all public works and all industries are more or less influenced by agricultural conditions as shown in agricultural statistics. One of the most important aids to | the success of this census is the plac- ing of a sample copy of the agricul- | tural schedule in the hands of every | farmer and rancher prior to the time | when the enumerator will call for a report This will afford an oppor- | tunity for study of the questions, so that they can be answered promptly and accurately. Copies can be pro- | census headquarters, recently opened in your district, or direct to the Census ; Bureau in Washington, D. C. All State and county farm agencies and organizations, agricultural schools, business interests, newspapers and farm publications can furnish direct aid by assisting in the distribution of these sample schedules and by giving the widest possible publicity to the agricultural census so that every farm- er and rancher may know the impor- | tance and need for full and accurate reports, Some Opposition Manifest. i Opposition on the part of some per- | sons 1o answering census questions has manifested itself here and there in previcus enumerations. Such pecople are imbued with the idea that any | statistical inquiry is an unwarranted | interference in their private affairs. However, this opposition has been di- minishing during past years, due to realization of the value of these in- quiries and of the benefits which ac- | crue, directly or indirectly, to the pub- | lic generally. ! If there are still some doubting Thomases, I desire to call their atten- tion to the fact that neither the Con- | gress nor the President would approve | the spending of millions of dollars in | various statistical activities unless | these efforts brought dividends in the form of incalculable benefits to the country and its citizens. The very fact | that these agricultural census activities | have grown and expanded from year | mand is in itself evidence of the need for national inventories in our modern 1 life. Garfield's Opinion Given. A former President of the United ! States. James A. Garfleld, once ex- pressed his opinion of the value of | census statistics in the following | words: | “The developments of statistics are causing history to be rewritten. Till recently, the historian studied nations in the aggregate, and gave us only the | story of princes, dynasties, sieges and | battles. Of the people themselves—the great social body, with life, growth, | forces, elements and laws of its own— he told us nothing. Now, statistical in- quiry leads him into hovels, homes, workshops, mines, fields, prisons, hos- | pitals and all other places where hu- | man nature displays its weakness and | strength. In these explorations he dis- | covers the seeds of national growth | and decay, and thus becomes the' prophet of his generation. | “The chief instrument of American statistics is the census, which should accomplish a twofold object. It should serve the country, by making a full and accurate exhibit of the elements of national life and strength; and it should serve the science of statistics by so exhibiting general results that they may be compared with similar data obtained by other nations. The census is indispensable to modern statesmanship.” i And I might add that the farm cen- sus is indispensable to the future wel- fare, not only of agriculture, but of all | other industries in which our people ' are engaged. In conclusion, permit me to bespeak the whole-hearted support of the pub- lic generally and farmers particularly to the end that the project may be | successful. Dedication Chairman Quits. GARY, Ind, November 27 (&#).— Mrs. Frank J. Sheehan, Gary, resigned yesterday as chairman of the com- ! mittee in charge of the dedication De- cember 7 of the new $1,000,000 State library at Indianapolis. She said the State’s educational interests demanded that more than a half-hour be allotted to the planned dedicatory ceremony. Burchell’s : Assorted Chocolates Candies of superlative excellence 1 Lb. 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