Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-04-24


any other farmers on this Continent,
with the inherited appliances and I'M
provcments belonging to established
countries. the farmers of the North At
Iantic States could barely hold their own
for 50 years. The West was the wand
growing region; she will figure as an old
and settled country in the new influx. So
also will the South, which then did not
notice amid the ravagcs of war, the
minor raNages of competition.
our Tariff Board. in its meagcr report
ON this vast subjcct-meager because IN
the hot haste with which this House Is
moving there is no time for the scienti-
tic examination which l believe Mr.
Emery and his associates would make so
Well-commentS on one fact which ii has
found. but ON the vast significance OF
which it has had no time to dwell. It
says of the most ilourishng Canadian
Proyinr-Ontario:
Ontario, while reporting the highest
Canadian land value, shows the lowest
Canadian rate of increase, 1t is worthy
of note that Ontario is feeling the compc-
ttiun Of western Canada. Just as some
years ago the eastern part Of the United
States felt the competition OF our west
Crn lands.
The farmers of Ontario are already
losing the equilibrium of their mar
kets. All eastern Canada will soon be
in the throes of it. And We are now
proposing to tear down our ancient
dik,s and invite the food to roll over
us. (Applause on the Republican sideD
The New England farmer saved
himself bv courage and intelligence.
-, .Nr
acres of improved land in the six
States in 1860. only 100000 acres re
main improved. But the officials OF
the Census Bureau advise me that Il
difference IN methods of classification
of improved land accounts for much
of the difference. Yet undoubtedly,
there has been some decline. Take as
an example and not an extreme en-
ample, the state Of Maine. The acre
age of improved land increased stead
lily until 1SSG,' says the census report,
"wher a marked decline hogan. and
in 1900 the percentage of farm land
improved was smaller than ever before
reported" And the Director of the
Census went on 10 specify as one ot
the causes of this the competition OF
western lands in cereal production"
After an agonizing struggle the New
England farmer moyed to q new base.
He ceased To raise beef and sheep. he
went ont of wheat and the cereals, and
became a dairyman. q grower of fruits,
and market gardener, He lessened
his acreage. but kept in the business
for the farm is a home and is hostage
of fate for the farmer in bad as We'll
as good times. And today the census
of 1910 slows that there are over 3oot
more farms in New England than
there We're in 1860. ON q new basis
that splendid race of farmers are re
versinc the dccadenee of two genera
tions. And just in the hour of victory
the statesmen of America, without
scientific investigation. with hardly II
hearing that deserves the name, pro-
pose 10 turn loose on them the COM
peuion OF u new empire. applause on
the Republican side.)
Can not the gentleman on the Demo-
cratic side of this House see how fu-
tile Il plan ii is to bring on the Ame:i-
can farmer. the destruction of equili-
hriun in lis markets and then expect
to recompensc him bE' lowering tho
'utltS VIZ d ItH " i4it- lAIiii,S ~ bis -
You bring upon him a colossal calam-
itN and then propose to salve fIs
wounds With commercial percentages
You destroy his business and then pre-
tend to cheaper the tools with which
he carries it on. Applausc on the Re
publican sideD
Effects, in English Farmers Market.
-.
frce-trade conditions. What happened
is snccinctly stated by Mr.. James ].
Hin i'll mis- new work, Highways OF
Progress:
Agriculture in England
He saws
has suffered in the last - years by the
opening of new land in America and the
cheapening of the worlds transportation
The English tariff commission gives
in 1906 the same report:
The causes Of the decline in agriculture
are worldwide i'll their operation, affect
ing all importing countries. The striking
feature in the case of the United King
dom is that agriculture has been more
depressed than in any other country and
more depressed than any other branch ol
economic activity. During the last 2
years the course of all agricultural prices
has been the same downward direction
with the result that agriculture has beer
subject to a great combination of causes
all tending toward its depression.
And, most significant of all. that
commission goes on to say:
European countries generally have pur'
sued policy involving import duties or
agricultural produce, whereas in the
United Kingdom agriculturists have ei
subject TO the unrestricted Importation ol
foreign produce on terms not disStmllar
in many cases, from those experienced
by manufacturers who complain of dump
ing.
These dry official statements give
Ht.le of the tragedy of England's posi-
ton. Forty thousand of her acres
went out of culture last year. In the
county of Buckingham farms sell as
low as $50 an acre.
buckingham County is about y
miles from London and halfway be-
tween London and Birmingham
Many railroads connect it with botl
those cities. London is that great
worlds market that is dangled SC
tcmptingly before our farmers wher
scme one wants to trade shadow foI
NGS, AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS