The Washington times., 1913-04-13
WASTE FARM PRODUCTS.

Mr.. Benjamin F. Yoakum, chairman of the boaro
of directors of the Frisco lines tells the farmers how
they lose ST., 7S5, 100000 a year. This loss comes
from fruit and vegetables left every season to rot
the ground; from flax, rice corn and other grains
burned in the fields and from poor business methods
OF the farmers their ignorance of when and where
to sell their products TO the best advantage
1t is, to be sure, drawing his mathematics to a
fine line of absurdlty for Mr.. foakum down in
precise dollars and cents the annual loss from rotted
fruits, from burned cornstaks from injudicious mar
keting. Nevertheless two Things are true about Mr.
Yoakum's proposition.
The first is that the farmers, with their increased
volume of products sent to market would have been
better of-though the degree cannot be expressed in
the exact mathematics Mr. Yoakum has used-than
they were before.
The other is tnat any cooperation among farm
ers, or farm credits associations, other assistance
from the railroads carrying the crops, economic
stimulus from the Department of Agriculture
thing that could have put within reach of American
consumers that vast volume of products represented
by Mr.. Yoakum's figures in dollars and cents-would
have done to relieve the high cost of living and
to add to the wealth and prosperity of the nation
than all the Underwood tariff bills that could be
acted or dreamed of.
population correspondingy increased production is
absolutely necessary unless prices to 60 up and
up and up. Sending to market and putting into the
hands of consumers enormous quantities of food
products that are now, and that always have been,
allowed to 60 to waste, is in effect increasing pro-
duction far concerns the seller in the market
and the consumer at his dinner table.
Nobody supporting the tariff bill now before Con-
gress has undertaken say that it is designed in
crease American production on the farms. Its
avowed purpose is to draw into this country products
from the farms of other countries IT, therefore, it
has any design at all to the agricultural producers
of this country il is diminish their products. This
must be So because if it hasn't been worth the while
Of farmers send all their products market at
good prices, yielding them sure profit, it certainly
wouldn't be worth their while to send all of them
to market to raise much as before to send to
market at poor prices, perhaps not covering the cost
of production.
But if knocking away the tariff barriers will not
increase the agricultural supplies in this
country to send prices far down for American con-
sumers, tine Democrats will be in serious Difficult
ties at their election if they hadn't tried to do
anything at all.
In any event, much surer way than the Congress
way of free trade to get down the prices of agricul
tura products for American consumers is the Yoakum
way. This is the way, the direct, positive and
way Of increasing supplies. If, as he and the farm
say there vast stores of agricultural products
never sent TO market, never used but burned in the
lelds left rotting tine ground, it is the A, B.
Of economics to get those products TO market to
luce prices to consumers and to satisfy their demand
His plan put up to the farmers of the United
States the producing agencies of the United States
is not unselfsh. Nobody would say that. His busi-
ness is to haul crops. He wants to haul all the
,rops there are in his territory, not part of the
;rops.
But because his recommendation is coldblooded
business proposition it is all the better from the
>ont of view only of the railroads and the farm
rs, but the consumers needing more and more of
what the farmers produce and what the railroads
want TO carry to the markets.