Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-08-18
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aot from the lack of opportunities or the discrim
nation and injustice apparently incident to our
present Industrial system. While the problem OF
me poor has always been, and doubtless will al
ways be. with us, that is why we should
accept with complacency conditions which. If
lot capable of being completely reformed, are,
1t least, capable of considerable correction.
The Increase in the cost of living in recent
'ears has given new interest to attempted ex
plantations of existing conditions, and various the
1ries are offered. We told that the increase
N the amount of gold production, rather the
decrease in the cost of gold production, has low
cred its value, and therefore, enlarged our meas
ure OF value. with consequent increase in the
cost of necessities as we'll the luxuries of life
without corresponding increase in wages and
salaries; that combinations and trusts have in
creased the price of their products by arbitrarily
fixing the price of the material to the pro-
ducer and the price of the finished product to the
, consumer that labor unions have increased the
cost of the necessaries of life by the increase
that they have brought about in wages; and
finally the explanation is offered that supply has
not kept pace with demand; that consumption has
increased more rapidly than has production.
1t is unusual that general condition is to be
attributed to any one cause. That all of these
influences less responsible for the
present conditions is probably true. That per-
manent correction of the tendency of the price Of
the necessities of life to increase must be based
1pon a proper relation between supply and de-
nand, is at once apparent demand increas-
ng out of proportion to the available supply is
sufficient In and of itself to cause an increase in
orices And any correction of the other conditions
which may have helped to bring about the in.
In the cost of living must necessarily fail
anless there is maintained a proper relation be-
tween consumption and production. The fact that
In 1909 the value of our exports of foodstuffs de-
creased, compared with 1908, eghty.seven mil
lions OF dollars while the value of the foodstuffs
imported into the country increased thirty-seven
millions of dollars, making a charge OF one hun
dred and twenty-four millions of dollars upon the
wrong side of national ledger shows that the
consumption of that which we produce has been
increasing more than has the production.
To bring about correction of these conditions
1t is apparent at once that there must be an in
in production, and the question is how is
this to be accomplished. We must either use to
better advantage the soil that is already in culti
vation or cultivate that which is now uncultivated.
The truth is, must do both. Production in
this country compared with other countries,
shows that we are not using to the best advan-
tage the great resources with which nature has
endowed The average production of wheat
in the Netherlands is "a bushels to the acre; In
England. 32; in Germany, 2S; in France 20. while
in the United States 1t Is only IA. The same dis
parity is found in fields of corn properly cultivated
conf, red with those not properly cultivated.
In recent report 1. was stated that ap.
proximatey 40 per cent. of the soil that was cul-
tiyated used in such way as to decrease,
rather than increase, its productivity. The cor
recton of this condition of inadequate production
due to lack of scientific methods of cultivation,
must from the agricultural department of
the United States and the agricultural colleges of
the different states. From these sources the farm
ers must get the scientific information which will
enable them 70 adopt not only effective methods
of agriculture, but effective methods for conserv
ing the productivity of the soil. The other cor.
rection must ne accomplished by Inducing q
larger portion Of our population to engage In the
cultivation of the soil
We can all agree as to the advsability of the
"Rack TO The Soil" movement. But how to make
II effective and successful is another and far more
difficult problem Some time ago George Ade the