Show FEARS BASED ON FACTS OP DANGERS THAT CON FRONT U B S IN SITUA TION 1 NATIONAL 1 tunu is NJ 1 I ald ANU AND HELP OP IS 18 i ily HENRY C editors note henry C wallace secretary of agriculture Is in a position no other human being can occupy the alie executive head ot of the governments vast activities in III and for tho the farming industry lie he senses the cause of at much of our trouble arid and offers a series ot at suggestions that may may help clear up an ail over ever darkening situation I 1 most of the epoch making machinery tile the plow the earn corn planter the two horse cultivator the mower tit the reaper and the steam thresher were invented prior to the civil war but it was waa not until atter after 1860 that these implements came into wide use they were especially adapted to the great prairie country whore where the farl farmer loc could turn a furrow straight away tor far a mile or more with the wooden plow the sickle and the flail a labor of one man was wag required to produce 20 bushels bushela of wheat on an acre of land with the improved implements tile the same earn amount of at wheat could be produced on the same amount of land tit in one and one half days daya better machinery and larger teams multiplied man mall labor by four the increase in ili the domestic and foreign demands for food was one of tile the most moat important factors in stimulating agricultural production our urban population in ill 1860 stood at 16 per cent of the total by 1900 it had risen to 40 per par cent of at the total cheap food and cheap transportation g atly stimulated our industries arid and gave us its success to foreign marmore 40 especially the countries of curoso tilled filled with largo large industrial du population ithe fhe improvement in transportation and the cheap ness doss of our foodstuffs opened to us its the marl markets sets of the world As aa a result of 0 this extraordinary combination of forces tho the production of 0 crops per capita of agricultural workers was increased by about 68 I 1 per cent arid and production per capita of total population increased about 30 39 per cent we became the largest surplus 1 producing country in the world tile trouble start naturally such conditions made for an extensive type ot at agriculture tho the richest large body at 0 land ip ili the world was waa either free or r very vary cheap arid and the best bea farn in the world was wap 0 to o lip bp had bad lilor haq riot not plentiful therefore the tor tha individual tp tn cultivate the maximum 4 acreage and loan toward a clial crop system which did not rive the chaj greatest yields per aero acre but which did result in the highest yield por per man early in tho the twentieth century it became evident the tide was turning in agricultural production as aa related e q to domestic dam estic consumption our pet per capita production was showing unmistakable signs ot of decline city population was wag increasing far more rapidly than rural population in tho the twenty following 1000 urban and village population increased by 26 while rural population in creased but in 1900 urban and village population was 48 per cent of the total in 1920 it was waa 0 per cent during the ten years 1910 to 1920 the cities and villages ot of the north had increased in n population by 23 per cent while the increase in the open country in the same region was but 15 per cent rivals a appear with the coming coining of peace inevitable period of reconstruction the unusual foreign demand tor for our agricultural products subsided the seas were opened and south america and Auli australia which had been bottled up were able to deliver their accumulated surplus for a year and a half american agriculture has been t a vory very serious depression ato to tho the production of more foodstuffs than we can use ourselves s and tore pro than wo we can sell at a fair price arm crops havo have ben b en selling for very much less than tile actual cost of production and very much below the tha prices which prevailed during tho the five pro war years yeara also they havo have hern heen selling for very much less relatively than other basta commo commodities ditle s that is but another way of saying that tho the wages of farmer are tar far lower now continued on oa page three continued from pago page ono one S W ON FAGIS hen alen tho the wages of an any other group flits has re resulted stilted in a condition velch it continued will within a ro re short period impose a beav iii jurdon irdon upon nio iho farmer cannot can not continue to pro luco at a J losa i s Do decreased creased production product lou vill result in prices so ao high that city sumers will ivill complain bitterly now new Ioli CA cl during the boxt twenty years either consciously or unconsciously the states will adopt adolt fairly doll aate policies a as aa to industry and agriculture N are approaching that orlue which conios comos in tho the life of ov ey ury nation when we wa must do nether wo will strive for a well bounded self seir sustaining national life n which the thera re shall bo bd fair balance otteen industry and a agriculture or bother na u have so many nations in lio lie past wo shall sacrifice our aarl e for the building of cities and expect our food to bo be produced not y independent farmers but by men md ina women of f tho the present type dispassionate consideration of tills this larger problem P h made harder now because our agriculture Is in very bad tape apo much worse than Is fully roal real w oil especially hero here in fit tho the kast fast hero here noto bo be a tendency to rois reis ard d the complaints knit and appeals idell are being voiced by tho the farm rs ra and the people who speak in their behalf as simply tile the recurrence it A grumbl ings which hayo boon been heard thol a in past periods of do de now tha truth Is that wo we aro are pass passing ing through lh the most severo severe agricultural ive ve hayo havo eyer ever experienced it lanot la not amply a case caad of if low prices price 13 forearm for farm products wo ive see lower r prices pacos in times past aie ho trouble now la is that whereas prices of farm product a speaking generally aro are lower thin th in before tho the war prices of things tho the farmer must pay for including Ino luding transportation wages taxes and the loan of money remain n nar ar mhd war levels hence the purchasing power of tho nia major j or tarn et cipa aps ops is lower than at any time in our history fil story A great civik our fl drat t baak a sk I 1 la s to bring turo through tills this critical period with lite I 1 he least siLle damage senators and congressmen from the surplus producing states appreciate the gravity of the situation as indeed do hundreds of thousands of business men who have dealing with tho the farmer directly or indirectly it la Is quite natural therefore ther eforo that thero there should lio consideration of leg measures which might afford relief relict As Is always tile the caso case in periods of cluan clil depression well moaning meaning people pomplo understanding of 0 economic tor for ces cc Is not list nil that might lo be 10 hoped tor for bonjo conjo forward with ill considered plans plan such have had scant chusid oration Effat JUff orts 9 at felid by congrow atonal action havo have been directed along three general lines first farst improved improve 01 1 credit facilities second por legislation which win will encourage tile tha farmer himself to improve methods hodg of marketing farm crops third assurance or of free roo open and markets for crops and live stock til through rough tile of 0 icalona ilo government govern mont supervision over markut market that anyone should ho bo imposed disposed to regard such auch legislation as of tilt the nature of class clasa legislation intended to or having tho the offutt or ono one group at tho the expanse of other groups 18 a surprising it to la not in any bonsu class clasa legislation its primary purpose as a to maintain agricultural product on that tho the people may bo be red fed wo we bayo bavo come coma to tile the time when team work la in needed yes imperative chere must bo be sympathy understanding and operation cooperation co between agri agrical cul lure industry and business they are lepon dent upon ono one another thoy they iro ro alike necessary to a well rounded iati it illonal onal ufa life they must work together tor for tile the good or of all to cota costs tho the paradox of our present largo coot surplus notwithstanding wo are beitat ceasing to bo bacomo come a food export ng nation tile the rapidity of nr ar industrial growth points to tile tho ap AD ro aching need of a materiale mator mater laly ialy increase tic lie product production ilon enlarged product in n may bo be brought about in ili two ways waid hero here aro are still large areas of land alch may bo be brou brought glit under tile tho plow no not t easily or cheaply but as need my itly require and prices justify and yields may bo be had from tilt the undo ande already under cultivation by tho the rac tide of moro more intensive methods n either case the tha corR consumer llmer c can a n not lope to buy food as cheaply in tile tho OB as in tho the past unless thoro there 1 bp urge reductions in tile the costs ol of pro lacing that food and when I 1 say aay coat of f production I 1 mean also cost of mar acting tor for production and marketing so io inseparable in its own wn Int interest orest and toi for its ita own benefit tile tho ri suming public must aid in making itai callable lable to tho the farmer every baell ty and business device which may 1011 him in reducing production j 01 homo suggestions in im the all administration ministration of our credit ia chinery whether by government igon cles or otherwise the effect on agriculture must bo be given more moio con averatt Aae an than in the past credit for product ipe and improve out fiur posos soi must DO mado made adall ihlo to tile tho farmer on terms which no seaonal character of agricultural reduction macej i ImproTe improvement ment in marketing methods brough bough tho organization of co apora ITO associations should be permitted nd aid encouraged farm products should bo transport A 1 at the lowest possible costs labont asmont with the maintenance and sat oat ts factory operation of oc tha transport ng agonoy agency tho the collection of statistical information as ag to production and bonau mp flon on of agricultural products at bornt ind and abroad should be greatly extend od and made more generally gone rally available the extension of cultivate land should not be encouraged until careful survey has made anade plain tile tho bract of establishing a profitable farming or live stock enterprise thoro there bo a decided tightening up of our policies poll cloi of land settlement including those dealing with reclamation projects painstaking study of tho the costs or of production and marketing of farm crops is a necessary preliminary to tho the reduction of such costs tills this wilily should be made all along the line from tile tho farm to tho the consumers table A bettor understanding of tho the forces which prices is very much to be desired and is necessary to the intelligent adjustment of production to the needs of federal supervision of such auch tlona as public stock yards and markot market agen cleo grain exchanges and the like Is not only expedient but very necessary to tho the and impartial functioning of such institutions and should result in alike to tho agencies themselves ros tho the farmers who furnish the tha raw material and the consuming in the foregoing I 1 have not dealt with all matters that should bo be dealt with in considering what needs to bo be dune to promote intelligent efficient clent still and continued agricultural production but have mentioned only mat tors which should have immediate attention as ai a necessary preliminary to the development of a wise agricultural policy this is not in any sense an appeal for legislation or administration for the benefit of a class or group 1 it la is simply an appeal lor for more intelligent lag ent recognition of tho the ilver lip n i t 4 r tible national dional are depends upon tipon a sound son lid ag lfeo t re 1 |