PARCHED LANDS

Evening Star, Issue 21719, 14 May 1934, Page 9

PARCHED LANDS

AMERICAN GRAIN AREAS WORST DROUGHT FOR GENERATION Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright WASHINGTON, May 12. Although rain over scattered portions of the western grain belt and a continuance of cloudy weather raised hopes for a break in the worst drought of the generation, within the next twentyfour hours new dust storms were sweeping from the south-east across the Minnesota prairies, and all Government agencies wore concentrated upon rendering relief in the stricken areas. It was pointed out that oven hard -general rains over the entire region from the Ohio Valley to the Kooky Mountains and from the Canadian border to Texas would not bring back the burnt-out crops or restore the water supplies from the low levels which they' have reached in five months of deficient rainfall and the recent unseasonable heat. The Federal relief and farm administrations, under a relaxation of the reduction scheme, have planned to allow the wheat acreage reduction benefits to previous non-signers of the programme to allow spring planting of lands where winter crops were killed, and to support the cattle market and prevent low prices where cattlemen were compelled to sell their stock owing to lack of water and grass. Air H. A. Wallace (Secretary of Agriculture), in an address to-night, expressed disappointment at the failure of the London Wheat Conference. He pointed out that, despite the drought, the United States would have a large exportable surplus, and he repeated the threat that, unless the conference can work out an agreement, the United States may give up crop control and compete for outside markets. He advocated tariff bargaining with foreign countries.