Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-03-05
PAYROLL Of
CIVILIZATION MET.
BY FARMER
WANTS NO "DEADHEADS'
ON LIST OF EMPLOY ES.
A Call Upon the Law Makers to
Prevent Useless Tax on
Agriculture.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union.


Lecturer National Farmers Union.
There is no payroll in civiliza-
ton that does not rest upon TIE
back of the farmer. He must
pay the bills-all of them.
When a farmer buys a pillow
he pays the man who mined the
metal, the woodman who felled
the tree, the manufacturer who
assembled the raw material and
shaped it into an article Of use
fulness, the railroad that trans
ported it and the dealer who sold
him the goods. He pays the
wages OF labor and capital en-
ployed in the transaction as well
as pays for the tools, machinery,
buildings, ETC., used in the con-
struction OF the commodity and
the same applies to all articles
OF use and diet of himself and
those engaged in the subsidiary
lines of industry.
The total value of the nations
annual agricultural products is
around Sl2,OOOOOO,O0O, and it is
safe to estimate that 95 cents on
every dollar goes to meet the
expenses of subsidiary industries.
The farmer does not work more
than thirty minutes per day for
himself; the remaining thirteen
hours of the days toll he devotes
to meeting the payroll of the
hired hands of agriculture, such
as the manufacturer, railroad,
commercial and other servants.
The Farmers Payroll and How
He Meets It.
The annual payroll of agri-
culture approximates $l2,OOO,OOO,-
600. A portion of the amount is
shifted to foreign countries in ex-
ports, but the total payroll of in
dustries working for the farmer
divides substantially as follows:
Railroads, $l,252, 100000; manu-
facturers, $,365, 100000; mining,
$655,OOO, 900; banks, $4,000, 600
mercantile, $3,500,0O,O 900, and
heavy miscellaneous payroll con-
stitutes the remainder.
1t takes the corn crop, the
most valuable in agriculture.
which sold last year for 1892
10000, to pay off the employees
Of the railroads; the money de.
rived from our annual sales OF
livestock of approximately ST.
O0O,OOO,OOO, the yearly cotton
crop, valued at $o2O,OOO,O0O; the
wheat crop, which is worth 500.
100000, and the Dat crop, that
is worth $44O,OOO,OOO, are re.
quired to meet the annual pay.
roll Of the manufacturers. The
money derived from the remain.
ing staple crops is used in meet.
ing the payroll of the bankers,
merchants, etc. After these oh.
legations are paid, the farmer has
only few punches of vegetables,
some fruit and poultry which he
can sell and call the proceeds
his own.
When the farmer pays off his
help he has very little lett and
to meet these tremendous pay.
rolls he has been forced to mort.
gage homes, work women in the
field and increase the hours OF
his labor.
We will devote this article r.
a discussion Of unnecessary ex.
penses and whether required by
law or permitted by the man.
agements of the concerns. !,
wholly immaterial. We want ali
waste labor and extravaganza of
whatever character. cut out. We
will mention the full crew bill a,
illustrating the character OF unnec-
essary expenses to which we refer
Union Opposes Full Crew" Bill.
The Texas Farmers Union
registered its opposition to this
character Of legislation at the
last annual meeting held in Fort
Worth, Texas, August 4, 1914.
by resolution. as follows: !
THE matter of prime impor.
lance to the farmers of this stat,
is an adequate and efficient mar.
keting system; and we recognize