Arizona republican., 1917-01-30
PLAN ID REDUCE
 HIGH FOOD COST.
Republican A. p. Leased Wire]


 ROME. Jan. 29.-.The remedy for the high cost of food in the United States is adoption by the national government of a scientific plan for dtsposing of farm products" according to David Lubin, the American repre- sentative to the international institute of agriculture here and himself the originator of the plan of founding that institution.
 The remedy was worked out by Germany many years ago and all We have to do is to adopt this remedy, he said. The trouble with our pres ent farming conditions is that the middleman and the speculator rather than the farmer get the biggest profit from the sale ot fam prouucts. This is shown by the fact that soon nearly fifty per cent of the farms of cur country will be mortgaged or merely occupied on lease by the soils culti- vators.
 Right here in Rome long while ago we had striking example or what poverty means to the farmer. In the time of Emperor Tiberius Grac- chus. Rome began to buy her food from Africa instead of encouraging her farmers. The land rapidly passed then from the hands of the cultivator of the soil to other ownership. and the small farmers ruin entailed that of the nation.
 America won't solve its high cost of food by putting the spectators in jail. We must make it impossible for the speculator to operate by strength ening the farmer. The Germans saw this many years ago, and they worked out welfare plan for the farmer, and thereby for the nation, which resulted in placing eighty%six per cent of the farms in the hands of the cultivator
 The key to the plan of the Ger mans, known as the Landwirths- chaftrat, is that of keeping the farmer informed regarding the needs of the cities, of the market, so that his dis trihution system is good; so that he knows what his products are worth so that he knows how 10 sell, and 50 that he knows how to plant his crops
 All of Germany is divided by provinces, and each province is kept informed of the others doings through a central office. Suppose there were too many potatoes in the province Of A, with the result that prices were low, the farmers in this province would make inquiries of the farmers organization in neighboring province, say Of $, how it's supply stood. and so on through several provinces until the whole potato proposition was gone over, and the potatoes shipped to the point where the supply was least In the United States, at present, given the condition of the province A the. growers there merely continue to sell their potatoes to the big city buyers at whatever prices they chose to offer. the warmers in Kentucky, say, being. unaware of conditions in Ohio, or at least inexactly informed.
 The German plan is valuable be- cause it is a farmers affair All the business of information is carried on through their own agents, and not by outsiders. Their organization is recognized by the government All legislation affecting agriculture must by law first be submitted to a stand . ing central committee of the farmers. The organization is entirely independ- ent of the department of agriculture. as 1t should be since no such depart ment can ever cooperate directly on matters affecting prices and business.
 Congress has already passed the rural credits act. and this winter congress will also he called upon to consider this German remedy for the high cost of food. The rural credits act by itself will not vastly benefit the farmer unless he is further aided to get equitable prices for his products by the adoption of the other and com- plimentary act. By this creation of an official farmers organization the farmer will be turned into an efficient merchant, and the people in California will say, should they be lacking in a food plentiful in New York state. be able to buy that food at prices helpful to the New York farmer and not prohibitive to them"