The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-04-06
DOES FARMING PAY7
Answers to the Question Returned to Kan
sas Labor Commissioned.


sas Labor Commissioner.
TOPEKA, Kan, April 3. -Pursuant to
| D special act of the legislature of 1S93,
directing the Kansas labor depart
ment to investigate and report on the
farming industry of the state, Labor
Commissioner James +. Todd yester-
day transmitted to the governor the
facts ascertained through such investi-
cation. The work submitted is de-
signed to be an answer to the ques-
ton, Taken as a whole, does farming
pay? Why?"
The scope of the work embraces fif-
teen years, ending January /, 1894. In
series of 1O6 tables is given the num-
Der of bushels of corn and wheat. the
local shipping price, and the total value
of these in each county for each year
for the five years ending January 1,
1884, which was the beginning of the
boom period. Then covering period
of ten years ending January /, 1894, is
given series of 1O6 tables, showing
by counties the number of bushels of
wheat and corn produced in each coun-
ty each year, the local shipping price,
the total value; also the value of wheat
ana corn each year at the general aver
age price for the preceding five years;
also the net loss to the farmers by de-
cline in prices
The conditions or circumstanc that have
caused the price of these two principal cereals
TO show an average annual diminution or the
remedial course TO be pursued. is left for the
consideration of the philosopher and states
mas Se Aaas1, g. ar.s.
termined that in the last ten years Kansas has
produced 81, 7O4. SIS bushels of wheat the value
OF which was ass, i74. 62673 that had wheat
maintained its price OF the five years,
ended January 1, 1884 this wheat would have
been worth s2i6,3i4. sOI.52, or net loss to the
farmers Of the state occasioned by decline in
price. of ss7, s74, l9I.T9 Also during the same
period the amount of corn produced in Kansas
was 473, $50, 3l8 bushels, the value of which at
local shipping price, $685., s7iO2. TIE value
OF this same corn, at the general average price
for the five years ended January l, 1884, would
be Sis3s16,8j4 1e. or net loss of sli1 $50 $751; "A
to the growers OF corn.
The total amount of mortgages on firms in
Kansas, according TO the census in 1890 is
sl67, 1909. On wheat and corn the total loss
during the ten years in which this mortgage
debt was mainly contracted was s235, 753 0:3 81
or an amount that exceeds the entire mortgage
debt by SIS, 6O7 9sl So In the l06 counties given
in this report there are 1910 farm
homes, and unoccupied tillable land
enough for double that number OF this
number, however, l04,5l7 farms are cultivated
wholly or in part by owners, while the tenant
farmers reach the number of 79, 1913, or nearly
43 per cent of Ne entire farming population.
An estimation of the value of farm products
consumed yearly by farmer and his family OF
five persons is found to be 1882 Os, as based up
on responses from l,0l6 prominent farmers re-
cid in II,
state. The earnings OF a farmer and his famj-
ly, five in all. is s,6Le5
From this department was sent l,qls letters
to as many different farmers in the state, ask.
ing among other things this question: Taken
as a whole. does farming pay: Whv:" To this
query l292 of the l,52i townships in the state
responded or that number l,25l answered
emphatically NO" while the fortS-one who
answered Yes" qualified the stat ment with
one or more adiecrives, the universal tesu-
mony being that farming does not pay becau
OF low and continually declining prices The
price of wheat has at no time during the past
ten years reached the general average price of
the preceding five years. and the same is true
of corn for eiglt of the ten years
1t is ascertained that the average cost of pro-
ducing a bushel of wheat in Kansas is 62.3
cents, while the average loo al 81 Shping price
paid for wheat for five years ended January |.
1893, is IS g. The price of wheat in Kansas, as
well as other states, shows a steady average
decline for two decades. In 1898 it had de-
clined in value till the price received scarcely
equalled the cost of production, and in
1884 il crossed the danger line. 1t is
notorious fact that except in 1888 and
1890, and in few localities OF the state in 1873.
wheat has been produced at a loss in Kansas
for the last Ten years In each county sum
maries and tables celebrating the above, and
hundreds of additional facts pertaining to the
subject matter in hand are given
Kansas makes a showing of 1913 bushels of
wheat per acre, which is 81 per cent above the
national average
The total number Of persons out OF employ
ment in the state on January l, 1894, was ILL.,
Ala