The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-01-14
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTIONS,
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
Fay Peter Rsdford
rrer National Farmers, Union.

The economic distribution OF LaTm
products is today the worlds greatest
problem and the war, while It has
brought fits hardships, has clearly en-
phasized the importance OF distribu.
ton as factor in American agricul-
rtufe and promises to give the sfarm-
ers the cooperation of the govern
ment and the business men the
solution OF their marketing problem.
This result will, in measure, COM
pefisate us for our war losses, for the
business interests land 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 has
been dumping tons Of products in the
nations garbage can for want, OF a
market. a.
Z The World Win Never starye.
AT no time since Adam and Eve
were dri+sn 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 q
whole has ever been 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
II Is safe to estimate that In case or
dire necessity one-half the earth's
population could at the present time
knock their living out of the. trees
of the forest, gather It from wild
vines. and draw It from streams. No
one should become alarmed; the
world will never starye.
The consumer has always feared
that the producer would not supply
him and his fright has found express
Zion on the statute hooks of our states
and nations and the farmer has been
urged to produce recklessly and with
out reference to q market, and regard
less Of the demands of the consumer.
Back 20 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 16,0s2160,000 idle acres of till
able land where they can make a
living by tickling the earth with q
| forked stick, but we do not need them
so 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 theory
that we are short on production Is all
wrong. Our annual increase in pro-
diction far exceeds that OF our in
crease in population.
The World az q Farm.
Taking the world as one big farm,
we And two billion acres of land In
| cultivation. or this amount there Is
| approximately 750. 100000 acres on the
western and / ,26o, 100000 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. o: .-
The worlds annual crop approx
mates fifteen billion bushels Of ce
reals, thirteen billion pounds of fbre
and sixty ave million tons Of meat.
The average annual world crop fol
the past ave years, compared with the
| previous Ave years. is as follows:
Il y Past Half ~ Previous Hall
| Crops Decade. Decade,
Corn (Bu:) 1894. 174.000. s 3,4 $685. QC
| Wheat Bu.) s,522, 1900 "a, 49,, $4,000
oats tBu.) 4,12O.Ol7. coo s.50s ss1b,O oC
Cotton Rales) 1e,ssS,s0o 17,54L2oC
The world shows an average in
craase I'm cereal production of 10 pei
1 cent during the past decade, compared
with the previous Ave years, while the
worlds population shows an increase
of only three per cent.
The gain in production far exceeds
that of our increase In population, and
1t is safe to estimate that the farmer
can easily increase production rs pei
cent if a renuneratiEe market can. be
found for the products, In textile
fibres thu world shows an increase
during the past half decade in produc
ton Of IS per cent against a popula
ton increase of three per cent. ..
| The people of this nation shoult
address themselves to the subject o.
/ Improved facilities for distribution.
| 7oye-- production and crop mortgage
force the. farmers into ruinous com
| pstition with each other. The remedy