Show W HY y PRODUCTS OF FARM ARE lOW MYSTERY Secretary of Department of Agriculture Says There Is No Satisfactory Solution of Big Problem Fu Full I Report on Wheat Situation Sit Has Been Sent t to the President W Workings of Department Shown By JOHN By-JOHN JOHN F. F SINCLAIR Copyright ht 1024 in United States Statts an and ani Great Britain by North American Newspaper Alliance AH All rights right re- re The department of of ot tho United States was wa organized in n 1889 Seven men since then havo have occupied the tho position of or secretary of ot agriculture re rc Of Ot these three have havo come como from Iowa two from Missouri one from Nebraska 1 and nd one from Wisconsin All Western Vestern men The present secretary Mr Wallace Vallace like his Immediate predecessor Is from Iowa He lIe is the owner of ot a large larse farm journal Mr l secretary many people In United States believe bellevo you are spendIng spendIng spending spend spend- ing too mUch money In your de department department de- de for the tho results obtained I said Id by way of or opening Mn rr Wallace is a short chubby man of or 57 67 7 Ho lIe has bas strong keen brown brawn eyes and a deep bass voice Well Ven lets let's see about that de declared declared de- de dared the tho secretary The department department depart depart- ment of ot agriculture spent approximately approximately approximately in the tho fiscal year ear and 1922 and only in 1923 There is a n cut of or Now remember that considerably more than half halt of this expenditure is really not agricultural purposes at all alI It is for tor road construction which happens to be handled by our department With 1 that eliminated eliminated our expenditures were 47 41 47 in 1923 That Is 1 12 per cent of ot the tho total federal government ex expenditures expenditures ex- ex for 1923 That seems like a a. a small amount to give glye to aid the most important single Industry in America Yes it seems relatively sm small ll Ij But is the department really helpIng help- help Ing 1 rig the farmer Is not th the farmer a United States worse off oft now i j n when the dep department was orI or- or I g I asked Wf res yes that hat Is probably true trpe reain re- re dt the e. e secretary but that again ain I duo o conditions over which this department had no control It is duo due to the war FARMER GETS LESSIs LESSIs LESS Is it not true that that the farmer has been getting less and less for forthe forthe forthe the products which he ho sells while the prices for those same articles by the ultimate consumer in the city are getting higher and higher I aked asked Yes unfortunately that seems to tobe tobe tobe be correct he said It Is a a. most difficult problem to solve We are aro arenOw arenow aronow now making a a. thorough investigation tion of ot that whole matter So far there does to be bo any satisfactory satisfactory satis saUs- factor factory answer But let us look a n little at the work of ot this department and see for ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves just what is being done The department of ot agriculture his has to do with the agricultural activities of the whole nation In 1920 there were about farmers in the United States who owned farm property valued at approximately 73 billions of or dollars The department estimates are arc based on the tho crop value of the eleven principal crops Those crops are corn cornS corn wheat oats barIe barley rye buckwheat flaxseed potatoes sweet potatoes hay and cotton Hero are the department figures for th the tho last las three years for the total money re received received re- re b by the farmers as of or October October October Oc Oc- Oc- Oc OcI I tober 1 each y year ar 1921 1922 1 1923 The Tho production of ot livestock and its products would add approximately more to the above figure for tor 1923 But Dut the index figures of ot the tho d department of ot labor show that the tho cost of ot living has bas been heen going up during the tho past year ear or Of course the these theo e figures are gross profits Out of them must bo be taken taxes Interest and expenses expenses in order to really know farm conditions THE TOLL OF WHEAT Low prices of ot farm products relative relatively high taxes high Interest interest interest inter Inter- est and high freight rates are aro re responsible responsible re- re for bad agricultural conditions in the opinion of ot 79 per percent percent percent cent of ot the farmers according to tho the 1923 report of ot the secretary of agriculture Low prices for wheat have sent whole states Into bankruptcy The department of ot agriculture as is issued issued issued is- is sued a full report on the wheat situation to t the tio e president It is isa isa a a. most tragic and appalling report The Tho detailed figures are given They are almost unbelievable Let Letus Letus Letus us examine a a. very few In the tho fifteen wheat growing states of the United States the de department department de- de of or agriculture fig figures res show that 1008 1003 per cent of ot the farmers lost their farms an and amI 1628 per cent more retained possession of ot their farms or property through leniency of t creditors That is to tosa sa say one wheat farmer in every four lost out This is the average record record record rec rec- ord for fifteen states Some states are much worse than the average Take Colorado Four Four farmers in every ten lost out In South Dakota fIve out of ever every ten in Montana six out of eVery lery ten Now let et us ug reverse the picture In In September 1913 in the city of ot Washington the department of agriculture agriculture agriculture ag ag- ag- ag made an investigation as asto asto asto to Just where the money w went vent nt that was paid to the grocer for tor bread The wheat producers the producers the men who toiled toiled and and sweat eat and risked all to bring forth the tho harvest harvest recel received 2141 cents out of every dollars dollar's worth of ot bread sold Tho The miller got sot cents for hi his services in grinding it into flour The Tho railroad railroad railroad rail rail- road got sot cents The baker for working on ba the flour for twenty- twenty four tour hours got cents The grocer for keeping it on his lis shelf shelt for less than a day without any capital outlay involved got 2055 cents And the farmer for workIng workIng working work- work Ing up the ground seeding cutting threshing and hauling to town four or five ninths of ot hard work got 2141 cents Th That t was bad enough enough It just couldn't be bo much worse BIG RIG DROP IN TEN YEARS But iut it Is Turn over ten years cars from 1913 In 1923 the farmer got 1637 cents the miller cents the railroad 31 cents the tho baker cents and anel the tho grocer 2222 cents The rest miscellaneous Based on a dollars dollar's worth of ot bread sold eold In tho the city of Washington 1 in September 1923 the farmer re received received re- re not 2141 cents as he did lid didIn didin lidin in 1913 but just 1637 1631 cents The grocer received not 20 2055 cents as in 1913 but 2222 cents If It we translate these figures into everyday facts We wo should not be surprised at states going b bankrupt at ban banks s closing not by t tIe the o dozens but by the hundreds Inthe Inthe in the tho states affected at one million farmers leaving the tho farms for the tho cities at nt the large largo increase Jn in sui sui- cities These facts are aro only the outward evidences of ot an appalling situation which demands immediate immedi immedi- ate heroic and vigorous action on the tIie part of oC the government Such facts the department of or agriculture found Now what does all this cost tho the federal government government govern govern- m ment nt First there is the weather bu bureau bureau bureau bu- bu reau with the tho weather man in charge This is nationwide important important important tant and cost for the fiscal fiscal fiscal fis fis- fis- fis cal year ear 1923 This bureau is asking asking ask asle- ing for tor an increase of approximately approximate approximate- ly for 1924 The department of or agricultural economics is another potentially Important Important important Im Im- im- im bureau This is really the big marketing investigation bureau of ot the department It sometimes investigates cost of ot production and marketing farm organizations and allied subjects It sometimes publishes publishes pub pub- lishes valuable data With the farmers farm tarm- ers era getting less and amI less and the themen themen themen men between the farmer and the consumer mor more and more this bureau sho should ld concern itself very much more effectively with the problem of how to decrease this great spread ad between producer and consumer Like many other nice bureaus in Washington it is it piling up and filing away very carefully much useful information lon for the student of tho the future This bureau spent in 1923 and ad this is further increased by approximately for 1924 It seems as though the principal activities of this bureau are much more closel closely related to trade and co commerce mece e than to agriculture EXTENSION SERVICE CUT The bureau of ot plant Indu Industry try deals with the tile whole problem of plant life It handles the problems of ot diseases pests and weeds It tests new plants in new climates This is a useful and important work The bureau spent in 1923 and expects to cut this by approximatelY approximately approximately for 1924 1024 The extension service contributes to th the support of the county agents in the United States tates For Forthe Forthe I the fiscal year 1923 1023 It spent but this Is cut down to for fox 1924 This is a questionable service which might be cut The bureau of ot animal industry deals with all work relating to the livestock industry It deals with the investigation control and eradication eradication eradication tion o of ot diseases of animals the in inspection inspection inspection in- in and quarantine of livestock I the inspection of meats and meat products and dairying It 11 Is an intense thorough and 1 bureau Altogether the bureau buteau spent in the fiscal year 1923 It is asking for approximately I more for 1924 I IThe The forest service has control of the national forests It studies foiest forest forest for for- est conditions and investigates vanous various various vari van ous forests and their products A total of ot was spent on this bureau in 1923 About the same is asked for tor in 1924 However this bureau took In in receipts for 1923 and estimates the total re reCeipts receipts re- re for fer 1924 at Of Ot course timber depletion must be considered against these receipts FIRST BIG EXPENSE We Ve now come to the big spending bureau That of public For 1923 1023 a total of ot was spent The estimate fc for 1924 is an increase of about over 1923 Here for tor the first time in these articles we come to large expenditure expendi expendi- ture tune in our federal government This work should be given very careful scrutiny If the people of ot the United Unit Unit- ed States want taxes cut here Isone is 13 isone one place where a cut could be made mad This Thill fund ia l creeping up towards a t year This bureau has more information about roads and road making malting than can be begotten begotten begotten gotten a anywhere where else in the Countr coun Coun- tr try To su sun sum up then Here Is a great department of ot agriculture em employing employ employ- loy ing people of ot whom are in Washington The department spent in 1923 of which was wall for good roads Without the expense of good roads the department spent approximately approximate approximate- ly for fex- the year rear This is relatively small For every dollar spent by the tho federal federal federal fed fed- eral government for or the fiscal year 1923 the department of at agriculture spent for its work worle about 1 11 cents It Ills is less than the navy department spends every sixty days It is less Jess than the veterans bureau spends spend every forty-five forty days It t Is less leu than the army spends every sixty da days s The department of ot agriculture agriculture ture in carrying out our w work rk is not one of ot our large spending depart depart- ments meats The big cuts must be found elsewhere |