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Show r TiT Some Aspects of the Farmers' Problems , Dy BERNARD M. BARUCH -. B (Reprinted from Atlantic Monthly) ! i" 1 - ' ' ' . , .......a . ..ft iamb tit 1 '" The wholo rural world Is In n for-mont for-mont of unrest, nnd there Is nn unparalleled un-paralleled volume nnd intensity of determined, de-termined, if nut angry, protest, and an ominous swnniilng of occupational conferences, con-ferences, Interest groupings, political movements and propaganda,, Such 11 turmoil cannot hut arrest our attention. atten-tion. Indeed, It demands our careful study and examination. It Is not likely like-ly that six million nloof and ruggcdl? Independent men have como togqthor and banded themselves Into active unions, societies, farm bureaus, and so forth, for no sulllclent cause. Investigation of the subject conclusively conclu-sively proves that, while there Is much overstatement of grievances and misconception mis-conception of remcdlos, the fnrmers nro right In complaining of wrong9 long endured, nnd right In holding that It Is fcnslblq to relievo their Ills with benefit to tho rest of tho community. This being tho enso of nn Industry Hint contributes, In tho raw material form alone, nbout one-third of tho nu-tlonal nu-tlonal annual wealth production and Is tho means of livelihood of nbout I0 per cent of tho population, It Is obvious ob-vious that tho subject Is one of grave concora Not only do tho fanners mnko up one-half of the mAIon, but the well-being of tho othor hulf depends de-pends upon them. So long us wo hnve nations, a wise polltelal economy will aim nt a large degrco of national solf-sulllclency and self-containment. Homo fell when the food supply was too far removed from tho belly. Llko her, we shall destroy our own ngrlculturo nnd extend our sources of food distantly and precariously, precari-ously, If wc do not seo to It that our fnrmers nro well and fairly paid for their services. Tho farm gives the nation men as well as food. Cities dorlvo their vitality and nro forever renowed from the country, but nn Impoverished Im-poverished countrysldo exports Intelligence Intelli-gence nnd retains unlntclllgencc. Only tho lower grades of mentality and character will remain on, or seek, tho farm, unless agriculture Is capable of being pursued with contentment nml ndofntuto compensation. Hence, to embitter em-bitter and Impoverish tho farmer Is to dry up and contaminate tho vital sources of tho nation. The war showed convincingly how dependent tho nation Is on the full productivity of tbo farms, Dcsplto herculean efforts, agricultural production produc-tion kept only n few weeks or months nlifMlil nt nAnDiiinnHitn nn.1 1n .!.. W.l. w. V-'.MFL.ll., .I..U llllll mj by Increasing tho acreage of certain stoplo crops at tho cost of reducing thnt of othors. Wo ought not to target tar-get that lesson when wo ponder on tho farmer's problems. They nro truly common problems, and there should bo no attempt to deal with them as If thoy wero purely selfish demands or a clear-cut group, antagonistic to the rest of tho community. Itathcr should wo consider ngrlculturo In tho light of brond nntlonnl policy, Just as wo consider oil, coal, steel, dye-stuffs, dye-stuffs, nnd so forth, as sinews of national na-tional strength. Our growing population popula-tion nnd a htghor standard of living demand Increasing food supplies, nnd moro wool, cotton, hides, nnd the rest. vttll tltn illunmifiniNitinA r6 ... .. cheap fertile land, additional acreage and Incrcnsed yields can come only from costly effort. This wo need not expect from nn Impoverished or un hnppy rural population. It will not do to take a nnrrnw view of tho rural dlscontont, or to appraise It from tho standpoint of yesterday This Is peculiarly an ago of flux and chango nnd new deals. Uecause a thing always has been so no longer means that It Is righteous, or always shall bo so. More, perhaps, than ever before, thoro Is a widespread feeling that all human relations can he Improved Im-proved by taking thought, and that it Is not becoming for tho reasoning animal ani-mal to leave his destiny largely to chanco and natural Incidence. Prudent and orderly adjustment of production and distribution In accord-anco accord-anco with consumption Is recognlrcd as wise management In every buslnens but that of farming. Yet, I venture to say, thero Is no other Industry In which It Is so Important to thd nubile nub-ile to the clty-dweller that produc tlon should bo .sure, steady, and Increasing, In-creasing, and that distribution should bo In proportion to tho need. Tho un organized farmers naturally act blindly blind-ly nnd Impulsively nnd, In consequence, conse-quence, surfeit nnd dearth, nccompa nlcd by disconcerting prlce-vurlotlons, harass the consumer. Ono yenr pota toes rot In tho fields becnuso of excess production, and thero Is n scarcity of tho things that havo been displaced to mnko way for tho oxpnnslon of the potato acreage; nest year the punish ed farmers mass their fields on some ; other crop, nnd potatoes enter the! class of luxuries; and so on. Agrlculturo Is tho grontost and fun damentolly tho most Important of our American Industries. Tho cities nre but tho branches of tho treo of nn tlonn! life, tho roots of which go doep ly Into tho land. Wo nil flourish or Iodine with the farmer. So, when we of tho cities rend of tho prosont unl--oisal distress of tho farmers, of a blump of six billion dollars In tho farm vuluo of their crops lu n single year. of their Inability to meet imirtgutfW or ,0 iy current hills, nnd how, mrtln rellcf from their HI, thoy nro nlnn nlng to form pools. Inaugurate AMn ers' strikes, and deinnnd legislation alwllsblng grain exchanges, prlvuta rutile mnrkets, ami the like, we oualil 11.it lii-'tlly to brand them as economic liurotlcs nnd hlghwayim-n, and hurl nt them thd' charge of being seekers of apodal privilege, llathur, we should nslt If their trouble Is not ours, and co whnt can he dune to Improve the iltimth'n. Purely from self-lnturust, If for no higher motive, we should help them. All of us want to get back permanently to "normalcy ;" hut Is It reason iblo to hope for that condition unloss our greatest and most basic Industry In-dustry can he put on u sound nnd solid permanent foundation? The farmers are not entitled to special privileges; but aro they not right In demanding that thoy be placed on nn equal footing foot-ing with tho buyers of their products and with other Industries? II l.ct u., then, consider some of the fnnuor's grievances, and seo how far 1 hey aro real. In doing so, we should leniomltor thijt, while there hnve been, nnd still nre, Instances of purposeful abuse, tho Bubject should not he approached ap-proached with any general Imputation to existing distributive ngpnclw of deliberately de-liberately Intentional oppression, but rather with the conception that the marketing of farm products hns not been modernized. An ancient evil, nnd n persistent no, Is the undergridlng of farm products, prod-ucts, with tho result that what the fanners sell ns of ono quality Is resold re-sold as of n higher. That this sort of chicanery should persist on any Important Im-portant scale In these dnys of business busi-ness Integrity would seem almost Incredible, In-credible, but thero Is much evidence that It docs so persist, Even ns I write, the newspapers nnnounco tho suspension of several firms from the New York Produco nxchnngo for exporting ex-porting to Germany ns No. 2 wheat n wholo shlplond of grossly Inferior wheat mixed with oats, chnff and tho like. Another evil Is that of Inaccurate weighing of farm products, which, it Is chnrged, Is sometimes n matter of dishonest Intention and sometimes or protective policy on the part or the local buyer, who tears -that ho mny 'weigh out" moro than he "weighs In." A greater grievance Is thnt at present pres-ent the field farmer has little or nn central over the tlmo and conditions of marketing his products, with the result thnt he Is often underpaid for his products nnd usually overcharged for marketing service. Tho difference differ-ence bctwoen what tbo farmer receives re-ceives and what the consumer pays often exceeds all possibility of Justification. Justi-fication. To cite a single Illustration. Last year, according to figures attested attest-ed by tbo railways and tho growers, Georgia wntcrmelon-ralscrs received on the average 7.5 cents for a melon, the railroads got 12.7 cents for carrying carry-ing It to Ilaltlmoro nnd tho consumer paid ono dollar, leaving 70.8 cents for tho scrvico of marketing nnd Its risks, as against 20.2 cents for growing and transporting. Tho hnrd annals of farm-llfe nro replete with such com-mentnrles com-mentnrles on tho crudeness of pres-ent pres-ent practices? Nuturo prescribes that tho farmer's "goods" must ho finished within two or three months of tho yenr, while financial nnd storage limitations generally gen-erally compel him to sell them nt tho sumo time. As n rule, othor Industries aro In n continuous procoss of finishing finish-ing goods for tho markets; they distribute dis-tribute ns they produce, nnd thoy can curtail production without too great Injury to themselves or tho community; commu-nity; but If tho fnrtner restricts hiR mlfmif I let ...li. .11 .. ' " - - " uiauouuus conso-quenccs, conso-quenccs, both to himself and to the community. Tho nvcrogo farmer Is busy with production for tho major part of tho year, and has nothing to soli The hulk of his output comes on tho market mar-ket n onco. llccnuse of lack 6t storage stor-age facilities and of financial support, tho farmer cannot carry his goods through tho year and dispose or them as they nro currently needed. In the great majority or casos, farmors have to entrust storago-In warehouses and elQvntors-and tho financial carrying "f tholr products to othors. Farm products tiro generally mnr uetoil at a tlmo when there Is a con-action con-action of both transportation nrt llnnnca-wncn cars und money arc cai :e The outcome, In ninny In stai.cos, Is thnt tho farmers not nnlj I undor pressure, and therefore at a disadvantage, but nro compelled to take further reductions In net returns, in ardor to meet tho charges for C wrvlco of storing, transporting, financing financ-ing and ultimate marketlnglS, charges thoy ,-lalm, nro oftfin oxco slve bear heavily on both consume. and producer, and nro under the con "I0 'w P"'rmlnff tho service It Is true timt ,: t.y nro relloved i Uio rial ..r .;1IU,ns k , selling at .niv.i.uMWyttreqUMe u, j |