The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-21
Railroad Magnate Says Reduc-
 tion Is Not Advisable
EXPENSES ARE TOO HEAVY
Government Must Shut Down Upon Great Expenditures or Farm Prod ucts Must Be Taxed to
 Pay All Debts.

New York, February 2O.-(Special)- "They talk about revising the tariff" said J. J. Hill to Hearst News Service reporter today, why, at our present rate of expenditures the tariff is now scarce ly on a revenue basis. How, then, Is it to be sealed unless we shave down the cost of government?
 "I am not a free trader" he went on, but I see the evils in present tariff schedules, although I do not know how they are to be remedied unless We shall call a halt upon the cost of government or shift the tax thus placed upon the people to domestic products. As to the trusts l guess MT. Havermeyer was about right when he testired before a commit tee at Washington that the tariff was the mother of trusts.
 But these questions or problems will be solved. They are much more soluble than the one of supreme importance, which is how to extract from the soil the maximum of production at the min imum of cost. The trust will break down of it's own weight long before we solve this greater proble. Upon it's solution ton, What is the cause and what is the remedy of the present cost of liv- ing?
 Conditions In New England.
 New England.' he added, illustrates the condition we shah be h as a nation before the generation of yoe.5g n'rn ieat now taking hold of affairs turni the retns over to the next generation un- less we bring about radical changes in our farming methods When I asked an intelligent New Englander recently what New England now produced. his answer was: College diplomas and edged tools !"
 But do you object to the college di- ploma?' he was asked
 Not at all," MT. Hill replied, "un- less it takes from the blacksmith shop or the blow good blacksmiths and good plowmen. It ought to fit each class bet ter for the work to be done, but 1 fear 1t is not going that. New England's soil is worn out and its civilization is show ing the effect of this in spite of vast educational resources of that section.
 Did you know that the value of the agricultural products of this country last year was s7,So0,0 900, 900? That is greater than the foreign trade of all Flu rope, about which we hear so much from persons who do not know what is ailing us. Do you know, furthermore that 70 per cent of our exports are products of the farm and that the volume of these exports is decreasing
 
 of tremendous importance. Primarily they show that our greatest industry still Is agriculture and that production per acre is not keeping pace with home consumption. So there you have the situation In a nutshell.
 Production of Capital
 "Twenty-five years or less ago the same amount of capital produced let us say, twice as much then as it pro- duces at present. With facts like these before them can't the American people see and understand why it costs them more to live now than ever before?
 "Tne farmers occupation Is the first to exist in civilized state. It is the basis of all industry. And only re- gently we began to realize that 1t Is, or can be made an exact science. Not ,un- til it Is practiced by a larger propor- ton of our farmers as an exact science will we obtain relief from present con- ditions.
 Tt Is well assured as anything can be that the population of the United States will be 200,0O0,O0o by about the middle of the century, or In less than 50 years.
 Consumption of Wheat.
 For the last three years. our con- sumption of wheat per capita has been either slightly under or slightly over seven bushels. Suppose it Is only six and half bushels per capita. It will then require at the present scale of living a total production of l, 300 ,000, 900 bushels of wheat for our bread supply if we do not export any. Twice only in our history have we exceeded the 700.0oo,000 bushel mark. It is fair to say that $50, 900, 900 bushels is our pres ent average capacity.
 we have no longer an unlimited public domain awaiting the plough. On the whole 1t is more likely that the wheat acreage will be reduced than that 1t will be enlarged. We may perhaps assume that steady and certain price of s1 or SIPS per bushel for wheat may raise our total annual production to 300, ,00OO 900 bush els, which would be 50 per cent more than it's present average. This is the extreme limit of probability.
 '"The country could under present meth ods do no more unless it took land just as necessary for other purposes and de- voted it to wheat raising
 Facing Shortage.
 "Figuring on the present rate of con- sumption we shall be left practically with e shortage of 4O0,000000 bushels in our wheat supply, even supposing that we consume every grain we raise. This amount we should have to procure from other sources.
 we HuSt po Pi opoieu to ScHu abiodu about $500, 000,0O0 worth of some commodity in payment for the wheat we will need. We must also make good the deficit oc- casioned by the cessation of our exports of breadstuffs and provisions In the year ending June 30, 1908, we exported wheat and flour to the value, in round numbers. of S164, ,o00,0 900. That will be cut off so we shall have to find 700,000,000 In all to pay our food bill"
 On the railroad question MT. Hill strangely enough seemed to feel compara- lively little interest
 The cost of transportation is going up." he said, "and will continue to do so until general change of industrial conditions ls brought about"