AGRICULTURE: Hot Potato

“If any of them can explain it,” said Alice . . . “I’ll give him sixpence. I don’t believe there’s an atom of meaning in it.”

The Department of Agriculture had grown hoarse trying to explain the Alice-in-Wonderland economics of potatoes. It had burned potatoes, given them away for school lunches, let them rot, virtually given them away for making alcohol and flour—all at enormous cost to taxpayers and consumers. But as long as the Government supported the price of potatoes ($2.70 a hundredweight to Maine growers) farmers kept on raising more high-priced potatoes than consumers could afford.

Last week the department had a new hot potato. Potatoes from Canada, which also had a surplus, were flooding the U.S., underselling the propped-up domestic spud. In Portland, Maine, right in the nation’s own potato patch, Canadian potatoes were about 40¢ a 100 Ibs. (15%) cheaper, despite a duty of 37½¢; and 43¢ freight. Maine so far this season has shipped only 133 carloads of potatoes (v. 483 at this time last year), while Canada had sent 398 carloads into the U.S.

In its haste to protect farmers from this latest evil of free competition, the U.S. planned a quick conference with Canada. It hoped to restrict shipments of Canadian potatoes—and hoped no one would ask how this fitted loud U.S. talk of freer world trade.

“If there’s no meaning in it,” said the King, “that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn’t try to find any.”