The Paducah evening sun., 1910-05-04
TALKS ON HIGH
COST OF LIVING
MADE BY SECRETARY WILSON
AND MIR. YOAKUM.
Audiences Were Noisy-Many Ques'-
tions Asked Yoakum- Mixed
Demonstration.
UNION OFFICIALS APoLOGIzED'

1 Nfts iFtuacs tRldl ANN VII W. ~
are not producing half what they
should because OF the lack OF prac-
lttcal education among farmers was
the explanation of the high cost OF
living problem offered by Secretary
lof Agriculture Wilson In an address
tonight to the Farmers Unio0.
Wilson received a mixed greeting.
The motion that the delegates arise
when the secretary entered was voted
down with cries OF ''he Is no better
than we are" when he appeared.
half of the audience stood up while
the others shouted "sit down"
He was roundly applauded at the
CONCLUSION Of his address
In hds address he said OF the high
lcost of living. that he found that the
charge that the farmers combined
to put up prices is untrue.
He said that the population of the
United States Is increasing a couple
lof millions year and production is
not keeping the pace, and the result
Is. prices have gone up. Something
must be done. OF the fourteen states
in the Mississippi valley. not one Is
producing half the crops IL should
because the farmers are not taught
scientific farming.
Wilson said that the farmers must
be educated. 'If had nothing else
to do | should become a lobbyist In
my state, Iowa, 70 demand that agri-
lculbure be taught in every one OF the
thirty or more colleges there.
The secretary said also that young
farmers must be kept on the farm.
This afternoon B. F. Yoakum. OF
the Frisco system, was the center OF
la demonstration when he spoke on
the high cost OF living and conserya-
ton.
Half a dozen hurled questions at
him and YoaaVum could not make
himself heard. when order was re-
STORED the union officials apologized
ito Yoakum.
Most of the questions seemed TO
relate TO the failure OF the railways
J 20 grant reduced rates to the dele
: gates.
Mr.. Yoakum's Address.
Excessive profit taking by middle
men was the reason assigned for high
lpTices OF food-stuffs by b. f. Yoa-
KUN, chairman of the Frisco system
lin an address which he made this
afternoon before the national con-
vention OF the Farmers Educational
> and Cooperative Union. now in con-
: ference i'm this city He declared
) that the heavy reductions in freight
! rates OF the past few years had been
r absorbed by the dealers and not
: shared in by the farmers or consum-
: es. Better marketing methods were
, advanced as a means by which farm
/ ers would get better prices for the
5 food they raised and at the same time
: lower figures would be given to those
! who buy the stun for use in the
/ kitchen. This railroad man descrsb-
= ed the damagogis politician as a dis
2 tributing and expensive middle agent
: and urged that he be cut out in the
dealings which the railroads and the
farmers should have with each 9th
sler.
Land Owners to Organize.
} "The most important force for the
welfare of the nation Will come when
the land owners OF America are or
| ganized," said Mr.. Yoakum. This
|, Organization Is important not only
for the benefits which will come to
1.-THE farmers but on account OF money
which viii be saved by the consum-
ers. IL is not prices received by
farmers which make living expenses
high. but the profits of the dealers
handling the foods between the
farmer and consumer.
"The Flouida farmer receives 81. .25
for a bushel OF green beans, the rafl-
roads gets so cents for the 500 mile
haul TO New York and the consumer
pay $40 for this same bushel OF
beans There is 35 per cent for the
grower. s per cent for the caruier
and 81 per cent for the dealer This
Is not a fair division.
Thirty cents a dozen was the
average price Of eggs IN New York
last year while the farmer OF Ark
ansas and Missouri received 10 cents.
The freight was two cents a dozen.
The men who received the eggs at
, freight station in New York and de-
liver them to the consumer take 3
/, cents a dozen profit.
"The rice farmer of Texas. Louis
lana and Arkansas gets two end one
half cents a pound for the grain and
> the cOsumerN q New York pays ten
cents a pound for this rice. The
freight IS one-half cent pound. II
: the rice farmers were paid and one
half cents Zone cent more than he y
now getting) and the dealer took one
cent profit (which is 25 per cent)
the New York consumer would get
20 pounds of rice for a dollar IN
stead of 10 pounds as now.
Every member Of every com
munity Is Interested IN aiding the
farmers to organize system OF do
ing business direct from the WELD to
the table. Effective organization
; cannot be had by creating prejudice
It.Ia I.n.