The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-10-23

Crop, Cut In Half the $ZouIoop,VVo
AppI. Crop, Taken s5o, 600 OF the
Potato Crop, and Those Items Are
Only : Drop In the Bucket.
BY FRANK G. ODELL.
Editor Nsb-aska Farm MaSazins.
The farmers of America recently
faced a crisis, from which they were
delivered by prompt action by the
President of the United States the
threat of nation wide railway strike
The railway managers and the repre-
sentatives of the 100000 employed In
train service were deadlOcked over
hours of labor and wage schedules.
President Wilson volunteered to act as
mediator, but had no power to force
arbitration. An impasse was reached.
The Brotherhoods issued a strike Or
der effective on Labor Day. Sept. 4.
The railroad Arrangements showed that
they recognized the imminence OF the
strike. Embargo orders were Issued
on freight shipments. Supplies and
strike breakers were modified. The
country waited. breathless, for the
storm to break. 1t was apparent that
neither side was bluffng.
The President saw a national calam-
ity impending. He called leaders OF
his party into conference with him,
and with them wrote the bill present
ed to congress with the special mes
sage Of the President next, day.
Neither the railroads nor the railway
Brotherhoods were consulted. Neither
side know what the bill contained,
neither made any demand o. had the
slightest influence in tho. framing OF
the bill.
That portion of the bill providing an
eight-hour day for employees engaged
in the operation of trains became a
law 1t was accepted by the Brother
hoods, the strike order was cancelled
and the calamity was averted.
No class stood to lose SO much from
the strike as the farmer. A single week
Of inactivity in freight Ind express
service would have paralyzed his mar.
ket for a month or more. Coming at
the time Of marketing Of Perishabls
products, his loss from this source alone
would have run into millions.
Staggering Losses Avsrtsd.
It is estimated by the railroad man.
agement that the increase In wages
because Of the eight-hour day win
amount to from $50, 600, 900 to $100sOoes-
600 a year. Allowing their highest fig
urs, $10o,ooo,ooo, the farmers Of the
United States would have lost more
than this In thirty days had there not
been a man in the White House big
enough to protect the interest Of The
whole people.
Five cents q bushel on wheat Is easy
picking for the pit gamblers when they
can play the market at their own
sweet will. 1t would have meant ffty
million dollars loss to the farmers On
the billion bushel crop.
Iamea Armshy ana e 1AEf1l(
shippers Of fruit In California, Re
publican, recently said that II the
strike had taken place it would have
bankrupted many Of the fruit growers
Of that State. He said { would hsusl
caused a loss of not less than $40, Goa.
900 to the fruit industry Of Caiifornis
alone. This amount 10 probably much
too low.
The peach crop now going to n,artst
as - mn mn
would have been practically tot1l
less. The $500, 900 900 apple crop would
have been shrunk by half in xalue
The potato crop, Of q value Of about
$22o, 0oo, 900, would have involved q fur
thsr loss Of at least $5o,ooo,o 900. The
cabbage farmer of Northern Ohio, the
grower of tomatoes for the cannery
and the celery grower Of Michigan and
Florida would have kept mournful
company. Melons from Colorado, Call
fornia, Arizona and Delaware, grapes
from western New York and from Va
kima and Wenatchee, prunes, pickles,
poultry, butter and eggs should have
gone down in the common cataclysm.
What would a strike have meant to
the live stock market of the farmer?
And what would it have meant to the
consumer, with the cold storage facili-
ties in control Of the packers combine
Would Have ParaIyzsd Industry.
The direct and immediate loss which
the farmer would have sustained In
case Of strike is but one phase of the
danger which threatened his interests.
The depressing influence upon market
prices, resulting from the inability Of
consumers to buy because of lack Of
employment, would have been felt In
every item of this years farm pred
ucts. Take this single instance; This
telegram, sent to President Wilson on
September I'd by Henry Ford, the
worlds greatest automobile manufac-
turer:-
The President-Ths moment II II
positively known that strike win
become effective on the railroads,
the Ford Motor Company will Of
absolute necessity shut down its
factory and all Of its assembly
plants throughout the country, and
every man Of its more than 1900
workers will have to go of the pay
roll.
sincerely hope something can be
done to avert the strike. Your ef-
forts are appreciated and should
be commended by every citizen in
the country.