Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-02-03 | Page 4 | Farmers to Blame?

FARMERS TO BLAME? i President Frank B. (.'oanollv of the Retail Grocers' association declares the ; government should ceao its investigation investiga-tion of. the growers and turn it ttn-i ttn-i t ion to the fanners instead. The alleged al-leged "liobling out' tatie.s of the . me Tie an farmers was blamH for t he high ro,l of living by Mr. Connolly, who ei.pre.--es his view.1! as follows: Millers are offering l.I'l a bushel for w heat mid are able t o get very li t' le ff it, a It hough the fn rniern ' gra na ries and ee vn torn are bulging with vast fnippIicH. The farmer i". the government's pet. He wa-i the fir-d, to be exempted ex-empted from tho new ('lnvlojj antitrust, anti-trust, lull, and it would be irnpos-sible irnpos-sible t'l punish him under Him nidi t nrt lawn, if it phnu Id j prove fi that there bi mi a gi-eemen t. to hold v Ik at. I'e-v of the farmers, emnpa m t i vely p'-nl.utg, are nblo to h'.bl back their lerov"- Irom market. In fiMinaiy year:' ! V hr t ', ; ow ea r j y in the f :i 1 1 bec'j u-;e the f.'rm-r?. iu" fon-d to .e. 1 1. t. ,. I up jm 't h". t-onii :. the bulk of" the nop lit in the hati'U of the NMlb'1-! arid the e,.-,;ior eoneprn.-!. Thi'i yen r hundred-. hit' million;, of bii-dd; of heaf. vent to ina.'et. i ;i usual, tire high ,rr- ,c-ing ,c-ing de to eii'rni"ii:' -MorU dp f j -bell.g.'lTIlt eOlHrie-.. f th.-re P., ,; con - 'mJ' i ;i ble li moil n I, (if ;i n . n in t n i haii'Jii oJ' tho faniMTi,, j, a good thing for the country, for if the elevator men owned it the 62 mark would have been passed long ago. We believe with Mr. Connolly that tho grocers should not be blamed for tho high prices charged for food products, but we do not agree with his conclusion as to the farmers. There has been some speculation, of course, but the war is iu the main responsible.