The times., 1899-06-20
CONDITION OF THE FARMER.
The Industrial Commission Opens II
New Line of Enquiry.


The Industrial Commission began yes
terday an investigation of the agricultural
conditions of the country, having on the
witness stand James Barrett, of Augusta.
Ga, Vice President of the Georgia State
Agricultural Society. The subject OF agri-
culture will be considered by the Commits
sion as a whole this week, after which
time the subcommittee in charge of that
branch of the enquiry will pursue the sub
ject further. going through the North
western States during the months of July
and August
The two special subcommissions which
were authorized a short time ago to inves-
tigate the mining industry and the grain
elevator trust Of the Northwest have been
abolished. and these subjects will be given
TO the regularly organized subcommittee
having charge Of such subjects. The SUBJ
committee on manufacturing. consisting
of John NJ. Farquhar. Ellison A Smith,
and Col. Albert Clark, who is to succeed
| Mr.. North on the Commission on the first
| of July, will go TO New York on that date,
and hear testimony in that city and
throughout the New England States dur
ing the summer.
Mr. Barrett had a very discouraging
story to tell of the outlook in Georgia.
The State, he said, was oppressed in many
ways which tended to make agricultural
pursuits Improbable. He considered the
National Bank act. which prevented such
banks from lending money on real estate.
as one of the greatest evils to the farmer.
The alternative was that the cotton crop
had to be mortgaged before it was har-
vested, and the interest charged on this
class of loans was enormously high, aver
aging from 20 to 40 per cent for the season.
There was no trouble in getting farm la
Dor in Georgia, according to the witness.
and the price paid for such labor is ex-
tremely low, the average wage of farm
hand being Sc month with food and lodg-
ing, although, help could be had in some
instances as low as 81 month. The natur-
al increase of the population was rapidly
augmenting this class OF labor, which is
the only means of increase. as there is no
! immigration to speak OF into that State.
Mr.. Barrett said there was no profit in
raising cotton at the prevailing price un-
less labor could be had for SO a month.
Where he had previously raised 200 bales
/ a year he now raised but TO- He had been
raising garden truck in its place, but said
he had made no money out of the latter
crop. Railway rates were so high that
watermelons could not be marketed with
a profit
In summing up it was the opinion of the
witness that the agricultural conditions Of
the South were worse today than they
have ever been before. In his county there
were but two banks and they charged 10
per cent interest for loan for three
months, which made the interest 40 per
cent a year.
George X. Holmes. Statistician for the
Agricultural Department, and Poke Brown.
of Georgia, will be the witnesses before
| the Commission TODAY
The Industrial Commissions investiga-
ton of the trusts which closed Saturday
! for the summer will be resumed in Sep
| tember and the first witness to be exam
ined then will be P. c. Boyle, editor OF
the "oil City Derrick" of Oil City. Pa.
| His subject will be Industrial Develop
ment and Evolution in Transportation of
OIL From a Historian Standpoint" Mr..
| Boyle is probably the best posted man in
the oil region on the history of petroleum
| from its discovery to ther present time.
and he is expected to give the Commission
much interesting information, based on
actual statistics. His paper. the Der
rick has been an authority in oil matters
| for over a quarter of a century.