The Ordway new era., 1915-02-05
PAYROLL OF
CIVILIZATION met
BY FARMER.
WANTS NO aDEADHEADsr ON
LIST OF EMPLOYEES.
A CALL UPON THE LAW MAKERS
TO PREVENT usELEss TAX
UPON AGRICULTURE.
oy Peter Radfeed
ctur.r National Fafm.rs' Union

The farmer IL tho paymAstef OF
industry and ~ such he must meet
the nations payroll When industry
pays its bill II must make . sight
draft upon agriculture Tor the amount,
which tho farmer II compelled 70
honor without protest. This cheek
drawn upon agriculture may travel to
and fro over the highways Of com
merce: may build cities: girdle the
globe with bands Of steel: may search
hidden treasures In the earth or
Traverse ths skies. but In the end It
will rest upon the soil. No dollar
will remain suspended in midair: 1t Is
as certain to seek the earth's surface
~ an apple that falls from tres.
When q farmer buys plow 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 ar
ticle Of usefulness, tho railroad that
transported II and the dealer who
sold him the goods. He pays the
wages OF labor and capital employed
In the transaction - well ~ pays
for the tools. machinery. buildings.
etc., used in the construction OF the
commodity and the same applies to
all articles Of use and diet Of him
self and those engaged in the sub
sidiary lines Of industry.
There IL NO payroll In civilization
that does not rest upon the back
Of the farmer. He must pay the bills
all Of them.
The total value Of the nations
annual agricultural products 10 around
81, 200. .000. 900. and It 10 safe to esti-
mate that 95 cents on every dollar
goes to meeting the expenses Of sub
sidiary industries. The farmer does
not work more than thirty minutes
per day for himself; the remaining
thirteen hours Of tfe days toll he
devotes to meeting the payroll of the
hired hands Of agriculture. such ~
the manufacturer, railroad. CONNER
cial and other servants.
The Farmers Payroll and How He
Msets L.
The annual payroll Of agriculture
approximates $4,000. 100000. A por.
ton OF the amount il shifted to for.
eign countries in exports. but the
total payroll OF indAstries working for
the farmer divides Substantially as
follows: Railroads, $1.252. 900 900:
manufacturers, $4.365. 900. 900: mining.
$655, ,O0O. 900; banks, 100000. 600:
mercantile $3,500. 900 900. and . heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the
remainder.
It takes the corn crop. the most
valuable in agriculture, which sold
last year for 81 .6s2. .0e0. 900. to pay off
the employees OF the railroads; the
money derived from our annual sales
Of livestock Of approximately $1,000.
00o. o.oGo. the yearly cotton crop. valued
at 1920. 600. 900: the wheat crop.
which IL worth 100000 900. and the
oat crop, that IL worth 344o.000.000.
are required to meet the annual pay
roll Of the manufacturers. The
money derived from tho remaining
staple crops is used in meeting the
payroll Of the bankers, merchanta
etc. After these obligations are paid.
the farmer has only . few bunches OF
vegetables, some fruit and poultry
which he eau sell and call the pro
ceeds his own. Gys
When the farmer pays on his help
he has very little left and to meet
these tremendous payrolls he has
been forced TO mortgage homes. work
women in the deli and increase the
hours Of his labor. We are. there
fore, compelled to call upon all in
dustries dependent upon the farmers
for subsistence to retrench In their
expenditures and to cut OF all I'M.
necessary expenses. This course Is
absolutely necessary In order to avoid
= reduction in WAGES. and we want,
II possible, to retain the present wage
scale paid railroad and all other in.
dustrial employees.
We will devote this article to .
discussion of unnecessary expenses
and whether required by law or per-
mitted by the manasements Of the
concerns, IL wholly immAterial. We
want all waste labor and extrava-
rance, of whatever character. cut out.
We will mention the full crew bill ~
illustrating the character Of unneces-
sary expenses to which We refer.
Union Opposes "Fuil Crew" elii.
The Texas Farmers Union regis
tered its opposition to this character
of legislation at the last annual meet
ing held in Fort Worth, Tex. August
4. 1914, by resolution. which We quote.
as follows:
The matter of prime importance
to the farmers of this state ia an ade-
quate and eficient marketing system;
and we recognize that such a system
is impossible without adequate rail-
road facilities. embracing the greatest