The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-01-21
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION,
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
BY Peter Radfcrd

Lecturer NdtlOudl dIIleis CHlOH.
The economic distribution of farm
products is today the worlds greatest
problem and the war, while 1t has
brought its hardships, has clearly EN-.
phasized the Importance Of distribu'
ton as a factor in American agricul'
ture and promises to give the farm
ers the cooperation Of the govern
ment and the business men the
solution of their marketing problem.
This result will, in a measure, com'
pensate Us for or war losses. for the
business interests and government
have been in the main assisting al
! most exclusively on the production
side Of agriculture. While the depart
ment of agriculture has been dumping
tons Of literature on the farmer telling
him how to produce, the farmer mas
been dumping tons G. products In the
nftion's garbage can for want OF a
market.
The World VIII Never starve.
At no time since Adam and Eve
were driven from the Garden OF Eden
have the inhabitants Of this world
suffered from lack Of production. but
some people have gone hungry from
the day Of creation to this good hour
for the lack Of proper distribution
Slight variations in production have
forced a change in diet and one local.
ity has felt the pinch of want, while
another surfeited, but the world as a
whole has ever been a land OF plenty.
We now have less than one-tenth OF
the tillable land of the earth's surface
under cultivation. and we not only
have this surplus area to draw on but
It is safe to estimate that in case OF
dire necessity one-half the earths
population could at the present time
knock 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 tatei
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.
We welcome our city cousins back TO
the soil and this earth's surface con-
tains 16, 092, 100, 900 idle acres Of till
able land where they can make a
living by tickling the earth with a
forked stick, but we do not need them
: so far as increasing production is con
J cerned; we nov nave all the producers
we can use. The city nan has very
erroneous ideas of agricultural condi'
tons. The commonly accepted theory
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 a Farm.
Taking the world as one big farm
:, we find two billion acres Of land in
l cultivation. OF this amount there Is
approximately 100000, 900 acres on the
western and 1850, 900, 900 acres on the
eastern hemisphere, in cultivation
This estimate, Of course, does not in
clude 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 sixty-ive million tons of meat.
The average annual world crop fol
/. the past five years, compared with the
. nrevious five years, is as follows:
It Past Half Previous Hal
IS Crops Decade. Decade.
e Corn (Bu.) 1884 ia, 900 3,40S, 655, 00t
= Wheat(Bu.) 1922, &c $4,000 3,257,526,Oo(
Oats (Bu.) 4,120,o17, 900 3,5oS,S15,oo'
= cotton Bales) 1e.s6S,sOO 17,541,2O'
The world shows an average In
10 crease in cereal production of 10 PEE
. cent during the past decade. compared
II with the previous five years, while thu
~ worlds population shows an increase
y of only three per cent.
The gain in production far exceed
that of our increase in population, ant
10 It Is safe to estimate that the farme
can easily increase production rs pc
y, cent If a remunerative market can b.
found for the products. In textil
fbres the world shows an increas
during the past half decade in produe
ton of is per cent against a popula
r. ton increase of three per cent.
t. The people Of this nation shout
Re address themselves to the subject G
re improved facilities for distribution.
e. Overproduction and crop mortgag
ID force the farmers into ruinous con
m r~otit;on with each other, The remed