Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-16

make the price on the goods they manu-
facture; and they have right to! the
merchants make prices on what they sell.
and no one knows better than they what
their goods cost them and how much they
should sell for to make their business fair
~ profitable. The mechanic sets price
on what he has to sell-his days labor
not individually, but collectively through
the trades unions for the unions not only
make a minimum price their members
shall receive, but also the number OF
hours they shall work to entitle them 10
pay for a days work.
The day laborer, the man the farmer
hires by the day to help him on his farm,
makes a price on his days work, and the
farmer pays it or he doesn't get the work;
but how about the farmer? If his prin-
cipal products are hay, apples potatoes,
sweet corn or vegetables for canning, or
cream to the creameries. who makes the
prices? The buyer 90 times out OF 100! No
one knows what it costs to grow ton of
hay, barrel of apples. hushel of po-
tatoes, or to produce gallon Of cream
or a pound of butter-fat, better than the
idIfiitE 1iiUlSeI, anu IiidiiSi6C any pei
son living to dispute the fact that the
farmer has equally as good right to set
prices on what he produces and sells
the manufacturer merchant, mechanic or
the day laborer
In recent newspaper article someone
was quoted as having said that "the
farmers are shiftless set Nf they would
hustle as the men working in, the city do,
there would be enough raised to supply
all needs" I do not know or care who
said this, his name. residence, occupa-
ton or profession. when he says the farm
ers are shftless he is liar There are
shiftless farmers: no one disputes it: but
all farmers are not shiftless, nor are all
shiftless people engaged in farming.
Repeatedly during the last few years
prices of farm products have been so low
that farmers have not gotten enough GU.
of their crops to cover cost of production,
and this is one of the principal reasons
for the Increased population in cities and
manufacturing centers. and decreased
population in the farming towns What
conditions will be this year as to amount
OF production Or prices, no one knows.
The government has done the proper
thing in offering to help the farmer in the
matter of seed fertilizer and labor, but if
it will go one step further and guarantee
the farmer prices for his products sufH-
cient to cover cost of production, so that
he may get as much for his days work
of from u to Is hours as men working in
the city receive for their eight or nine
hours, 10 one need be alarmed but what
they will show their patriotism and
loyalty by doing their best to produce as
much as possible. Doubtless some will
say the government cannot do this If
this cannot be done under the present
laws then let Congress enact laws where
by this can be done. But some will prob
ably claim this is too arbitrary step for
the government to take, but present con-
ditlons require such legislation, and the
government should have the same right to
do this as it has to regulate freight rates
through the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. Let the government make a min
imum price on farm products to the pro-
Queer, and a maximum price on the same
to the consumer. with~ Sufficient margin
between the two to cover cost of trans
portation, and give the middlemen a Just
have existed in the past. with the farmers
getting but IS cents Of the consumers dol
lar, and if the middle men are not sat
isfied with that let them become pro-
ducers. go ito farming and heln produce
enough to supply the needs of our .own
and the allied nations. There are thous-
ands of acres of good farm land in New
England-and no doubt this is true of 9TH
er sections--the use of which can be had
almost for the asking There are some
who believe that this is not a patriotic"
war, war of protection and defense, but
a rich mans war;" that rich men. finan
ciers and spectators have been doing all
they could to bring about present condi-
tons for the money they may be able to
make out of it; and there is no way in
which this mistaken idea can better he
corrected than by the government taking
control OF this whole food situation and
fixing prices.
III. II. HAYES,
Riverside. Me. May IL