St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1915-01-30
PAYROLL Of
MET
BY FARMER.
WANTS NO "DEADHEADS" ON
LIST OF EMPLOYEES.
A CALL UPON THE LAW MAKERS
TO PREVENT USELESS TAX
UPON AGRICULTURE.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union

oy refer na010r0
Lecturer National Farmers Union
The farmer is the paymaster Of
Industry and as such he must meet
the nations payroll. When industry
pays its bill 1t must make q sight
draft upon agriculture for the amount,
which the farmer is compelled to
honor without protest. This check
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 the skies, but in the end It
will rest upon the soil No dollar
will remain suspended In midair; It is
as certain to seek the earth's surface
as an apple that falls from a tree.
When a farmer buys a 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
ttcle Of usefulness, the railroad that
transported It and the dealer who
sold him the goods. He pays the
wages OF labor and capital employed
In the transaction as well as pays
Tor the tools. machinery, buildings.
etc, used in the construction Of the
commodity and tho same applies to
all articles Of use and diet Of him.
SELF and those engaged IN the sub
sadiary lines Of industry.
There 10 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 is around
$15 .000.000.0oe. and 1t is safe to esti-
mate that 81 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
thirtee8 houre Of the days toll he
1evofes to meeting the payroll a the
1lred hands Of agriculture, such as
no manufacturer, railroad. CONNER.
:ial and otter servants.
The Farn'ers Payroll and How He
Nests lt.
The annual payroll Of agriculture
'pproumates $4,000, 100000. A por.
ION Of the amount is shifted to fol.
I'm countries In exports, but the
Qtal payroll Of industries working for
he farmer divides substantially as
ollows: Railroads, 1926, 0oO, 900;
manufacturers $4,36s, 000, 200; mining, |
1856. 100000; banks. 100000, 900; |
$500, 900, 900, and a heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the |
emainder.
It takes the corn crop, the most
aluable in agriculture. which sold
ast yesIr for 1862 600. 900. to pay OF
be employees of the railroads; the
money derived from our annua. sales
{ livestock Of approximately $4,000
90 900, the yearly cotton crop, valued
t 1920, 100000: the wheat crop,
si,ich IL worth &610. 100000, and the
vat crop, that Is worth $440,000,000,
lre required to meet the annual pay.
oil Of the manufacturers. The
money derived from the remaining
taple crops Is used in meeting the
'ayroll Of the bankers. merchants,
tc. After these obligations are paid.
he farmer has only a few punches Of
vegetables. some fruit and poultry
which he can sell and call the pro.
eeds his own.
When the farmer pays OF his help
% has very little left and to meet
hese tremendous payrolls he has
cen mrced to mortgage homes, work
omen In the field and increase the
ours Of his labor. We are, there
,re. compelled to call upon all in.
ustries dependent upon the farmers
X subsistence to retrench In their
kpenditures and to cut OF all un-
ecessary expenses. This course is
bsolutely necessary in order to avoid
reduction In wages, and We want,
possible, to retain the present wage
cale paid railroad and all other In
ustrial employees.
We viii devote this article to q
(scussion Of unnecessary expenses
nd whether required by law or per.
lifted b. the arrangements Of the
is wholly immaterial. We
ant all waste labor and extrava-
luce, Of whatever character, cut out.
70 vii! mention the full crew bill 40
psS