Los Banos Rotary Club History
Paul Benz Urges New Thinking On Farm Problems

Paul Benz, local laundryman and member of the local Rotary Club, inspired a lot of different thinking on farm problems Tuesday in a talk before the club as a "farm expert." Benz quickly said his qualifications to speak could be judged by the fact that he couldn't tell a field of green barley from a field of wheat, but, he said, "neither can a lot of so-called experts."

Emphasizing that his purpose was primarily to incite around thinking and discussion among his fellow Rotarians, Benz questioned the government's continuing policy of paying the farmer to produce all he can, and to bring in more new land to produce more new crops. In other businesses, he pointed out, manufacturing of a given item is curtailed as supply exceeds demand, whereas the farmer continues producing, and the government continues buying and storing, with no apparent end.

One reason for the farmer's present dilemma, Benz suggested, is because there is no nation-wide organization or association as in most other lines of business. There is no self-administered curtailment of production program to cope with the age-old law of supply and demand, nor concentrated sales and advertising campaign to increase sales beyond normal demand.

Obviously the time has come, Benz suggested, when the farmers and the government need to seek a new approach to the farm problem, need to restore farm economy to the law of supply and demand, and put the farmer on his own resources rather than continue his dependency on government subsidies..

Benz also pointed out he was sighting his thinking on the national rather than local level, fully realizing that in this particular community the farmer's best financial interests are also the best financial interests of the small business communities which are dependent upon agriculture for their livelihood. By contrast, however, Benz reminded that the small community business people are largely loyal to their own farming community, even to the point of willingly paying more for the same merchandise in wholehearted support of the community's featured products.

Talks May Day

Seymour Mouber of San Jose, who is handling the May Day Fair publicity this year for his firm of Russell Pierce & Co., San Jose, briefly related current plans for the 1956 Fair and Festival, and told of various new features being planned.

Explaining that the job of himself and his company is to herald the news of the Festival to as many people in the state as possible, Mouber stated his job is being made much easier and of much more personal interest because of the terrific enthusiasm and cooperation of local people, "I know of few if any other communities," he said, "in which community spirit and interest is so manifest or willingness to work so general. With such spirit I can readily understand why your festival has continued to be such an outstanding success through the years."

March 9, 1956

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