Milford chronicle., 1914-12-04
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION,
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union.


n Lecturer National Farmers Union
The economic distribution OF farm
oroducts is today the worlds greatest
,r oroblem and the war, while it has
u brought its hardships, has clearly en-
ohasized the importance Of distribu-
lion as a factor in American agricul-
r ura and promises to give the farm.
CU. ara the cooperation of the govern
nent and the business men the
ers Ioution Of their marketing problem.
This result will, in a measure, com.
a Densate US for our war losses, for the
business interests and government
have been in the main assisting al
most exclusively on the production
aide Of agriculture While the depart
VI ment of agriculture has been dumping
tons Of literature on the farmer telling
him how to produce, the farmer has
am been dumping tons of products in the
sm nations garbage can for want Of a
an market.
The World VIII Never starVe.
At no time since Adam and Eve
we're driven from the Garden of Eden
3Out have the inhabitants of this world
suffered from lack Of production, but
the day Of creation to this good hour
pH for the lack Of proper distribution.
B% Slight variations in production have
pH forced change in diet and one local
fly has felt the pinch of want, while
IT another surfeited but the world as a
whole has ever been a land OF plenty:
,ey We now have less than one-tenth Of
the tillable land of the earths surface
under cultivation, and we not only
have this surplus area to draw on but
1t is safe to estimate that in case OF
dire necessity One-half the earths
population could at the present time
ApOck their living out Of the trees
Of the forest, gather 1t from wild
vines and draw it from streams. No
one should become alarmed; the
world will never starve.
The consumer has always feared
that the producer would not supply
him and his fright, has found express
sion on the statute books Of our states
and nations and the farmer has been
urged to produce recklessly and with
out reference to a market, and regard
less Of the demands Of the consumer.
Back to the Soil.
The city people have been urging !
. each other to move back to the farm,
but very few of them have moved. |
S We welcome our city cousins back to |
the soil and this earth's surface con- !
tains 16O92, 100000 idle acres Of till |
able land where they can make a
living by tickling the earth with a |
iorked stick, but we do not need them /
50 far as increasing production is con- |
cerned; we now have all the producers !
we can use. The city man has very |
erroneous ideas of agricultural condi-
TONS The commonly accepted theor.
that we are short on production Is all
wrong Our annual increase in pro
duction far exceeds that Of our IN
crease in population.
The World as Farm.
Taking the world as one big farm
We find two billion acres Of land in
cultivation. OF this amount there is
approximately $50, 900 acres on the
western and 1850. 100000 acres on the
eastern hemisphere. in cultivation.
This estimate, Of course, does not In
cude grazing lands, forests, ETC.,
where large quantities Of meat are
Produced.
The worlds annual crop approx
mates fifteen billion bushels OF ce-
reals, thirteen billion pounds Of fibre
and sixtyfve million tons Of meat
The average annual world crop for
The past five years, compared with the
previous five years, is as follows:
Past Half Previous Half
Crops Decade. Decade.
Corn (Bu.) 3,934,174OOO S4OS ,655,OOO
Wheat(Bu 1922, ,769 900 3,257 $4,000
Oats (Bu.) 4.12O.Ol7OOO 9,5OS.315.0OO
Cotton (Bales) 19,S6SSOO 17,541,2OO
the world shows an average In
crease in cereal production of 1S per
cent during the past decade. compared
with the previous five years, while the
worlds population shows an increase
iaf only three per cent.
The gain in production far exceeds
that of our increase in population, and
It Is safe to estimate that the farmer
can easily increase production 20 per
cent ii a remunerative market can be
found for the products. in textile
nbres the world shows an increase
during the past half decade in produc-
tlon Of is per cent against popula-
uon increase Of three per cent
The people Of this nation should
address themselves to the subject OF
improved facilities for distribution.