The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-01
WHY FARMS DO NOT PAY.
Results of the Enquiry by
the State Board of
A Agriculture.
Special to the Jersey citv Ne,os.

TRENTON, May l, 1890. The Committee
of the State Board Of Agriculture ap-
pointed to cooperate with the Governor
and similar committee appointed by the
Legislature to consider and investigate
the causes leading to the depressed con-
dition Of the farming interests Of the State
have just issued a pamphlet containing
the result of their work. In a general
way some of these results have already
been published. The questions sent out
to the farmers are known. The answers
as to the depreciation of land show that
for the whole State it is about forty per
cent. during the past ten or fifteen years.
The causes given for this depreciation
are various and some of them. far-reach-
ing. Those lying within this State more
particularly are too high rate OF in
terest; want of organization among farm
ers; farm wages higher than years ago IN
comparison to prices received for farm
produce; bad roads, monied capital
evading taxation; discrimination in
freight rates, it being excessive on short
hauls and against New Jersey farmers as
shippers; excessive taxation; believe
farmers are paying more than their just
proportions; too high or excessive salaries
of public officials; farmers living ex-
penses have increased; over production;
too much money absorbed between
the producer and the consumer
Zone says, they should get near enough
difference between the price received by
the producer, and the price paid by the
consumer; want of cooperation between
the producer and the consumer; heavy
county court expenses, caused in part by
the liquor traffic; decentralization of sill
needs of the country in circulation among
the people; greater favors given to bank
ing business than are shown to the pro-
ducing classes; subsidiziug the great rail-
road corporations with grants of
public lands, which lands were
offered in foreign countries at
low prices, and the unwarranted induce
ments thrown out to foreign immigrants
to occupy ana homestead said lands; low
freight rates to the East on Western and
Southern produce; immense shipments of
Western beef TO the Eastern markets; the
utter failure of the Interstate Commerce
law to afford relief to the farmer; no
American vessel to transport our products
to other countries; too much tariff on
what the farmer has to buy; not enough
toriH on foreign farm produce; the oper-
alton of the tariff laws, etc.
The remedies suggested are reduction
of the rate of interest to five per cent. /;
pun 5llfck Ou . pal w I'LL St1tAs dDO11Sul16nb
of State Camp at Sea Girt.
1t is estimated from the answers that
sixty-dve per cent. of the farms are
mortgaged.
MERCER MEN TALK.
Some of the replies are very instructive
and interesting. ID. ]. Blackwell, of Har-
bourton, this county, says
/ think the power of taxation is badly
abused in this State. protest against
exemption OF churches and high schools
from taxation-no institution should be
allowed exemption for more than 81 ,000
Take for example Princeton. There is
over million dollars worth of property
600. Again, If person has a building
worth 81, 600 or $4,000 and has school Of
from three to five scholars, it
is exempt from taxation. The
rate of taxation should be reduced
for the reasons:-Fi First-Six per cent. is
more than q farmer can make money yield
under present conditions. Second--Men
who can turn their business quickly can
borrow at from two to four per cent,
while a farmer, whose returns must come
from his crops, although he can secure it
ever so WE'LL cannot borrow for less than
six per cent. If it be said money will
leave the State" | would answer, let it
go; it is not worth while for farmer to
work to pay six per cent. when it Is only
possible to make it yield less.
]. B. Darlrymple, of Ringoes, says
My views in regard to taxation are
There seems to need read djusting of the
whole machinery. For example, why
should farmers be required to pay for all
their capital invested, with small income
if any, under existing circumstances.
while the man with salary more than
the farmers capital and income both) is
exempt, only his poll tax to payf Is this
equal taxation? Our taxes have Increased
in the last ten or fifteen years forty per
cent, and whys Is it not because it cost
more to run the machinery There seems
to be no disposition to economizs on the
the part of those running it. Salaries
of which absorb the hard earnings OF tex
payers The freeholder system as operated
costs this county immense sums of money
for very little done of any value.