THE AAA TOTTERS

Again the theory of AAA has been struck by another mighty blow, the recent Western dust-storm. So serious is the situation that the AAA was forced yesterday to give up completely its stubbornly cherished wheat reduction program. Although the government will continue to pay farmers for crop reduction, the clause providing for limitation will not be enforced.

The crass stupidity of continuing the policy up to yesterday seems almost incredible. Last year's drought, predicted months in advance by students of metreology who had discovered a five-year period of abnormal rain-fall, reduced wheat production to a point which made even the AAA's effort appear puny by comparison. Because of the drought and government "planning" any surplus was expected to be negligible. Havoc wrought by the recent dust storm, coupled with continued government reduction, has now made any real surplus impossible and a shortage probable. High- or wheat prices, all ready reflected in the Chicago grain markets, may well mean higher-priced broad, the disastrous social and political consequences of which may easily can imagined.

This presents a grim picture of "planning". Necessarily, planning pre-supposen an intelligent attempt to forsee the future. Yet the AAA apparently had no student of rainfall, climate and sell conditions on its staff, and continued to carry on its program in a state of blissful unconsciousness. Even after crop reduction was proved totally wrong by last year's debacle, the obdurate disregard of such factors as probable sell conditions and marginal safety has continued up to yesterday. When an agency has a record of "planning" like this, its downfall, predicted by many commentators, must be received as an unmitigated blessing.