The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-09-15

Notable Session is
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7. Hill DeliUerS
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Warning

CHICAGO, Sept IL Bankers
from every state in the Union joined
today in the opening session of the
convention of the American Bankers
Association. The convention was
called to order by President George
M. Reynolds, in the auditorium
theatre.
Reports of committees and officers,
the address of welcome and responses
filled the morning session. Governor
Denen and President Talbert, of the
Chicago clearing house association,
welcomed the bankers and Col. Robt.
J. Lowery of Atlanta responded.
President Reynolds delivered his ad-
dress.
CHICAGO, Sept. 14.-"The idea
that we feed the world is being cor
rected; and unless we increase the
agricultural population and their
product the question of source of
food supply at home will soon super
sede the question of a market for
our products abroad" This was the
warning given by James J. Hill at
the convention of the American
Bankers Association today, during
a discussion of agriculture and its
consequences. Mr.. Hills subject was
National Wealth and the Farm
1--WE have" said the speaker, "al-
most reached point where, owing
to increased population without in
creased production per acre, our
home food supply will be insufficient
20 wi I, ~, tAr
possibly less, We are likely to become
a wheat importing nation; the per-
centage of the population engaged in
agriculture and the wheat production
per acre are both falling; at the same
time the cost of living is raised every
where by this relative scarcity of
bread, by artificial increase in the
price of all manufactured articles,
and by habit of extravaganza which
has enlarged the view of both rich
and poor of what are to be consid-
cred the necessaries of life. These
plain facts should disturb and arouse
not only the economic student but
the men who are most intimately re-
lated to the wealth of the nation and
most concerned that it should not
suffer loss or decrease"
Mr.. Hill declared that never yet
has enhanced cost of living, when
due to agricultural decline and in
ability to supply national needs,
failed to end in national disaster.
Mr.. Hill said the farm is our main
reliance and that every other activity
depends on that. He asserted how
ever, that the majority of people fail
to realize practically the declining
status of agriculture in the country.
"They are misled by the statistics of
farm values and products, mounting
annually by great leaps, into think
ing that this absolute increase i'm
plies a relative advance of this in
dustry as compared with Others"
said he. Exactly the opposite is
the case. refer not merely to the
quality and results of our tillage, but
to the setting of the human tide away
from the cultivated field and toward
the factory gate or the city slum.
This is something whose consequent
ces for evil are as certain as if the
aggregate deposits in all the banks
of this country were decreasing by
fixed percentage every ten years,
while their loans were increasing by.
another percentage just, *, as stable.
You would know what catastrophe
that assured by and by. s-ss.s.' 5
.It seems theS same thing in kind
and consequences, when the agricult-
ural population, the producers and
depositors in the great national
treasury of wealth, is declining year
Continued on page three.)