The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-24
D,LUBIN STATES
WAY T00vERC0ME:
HIGH FOOD PRICE
Advises Government to Dis
pose of Products on Sci
entific Basis.

Rome, Jan. 24.-"The remedy for
the high cost of food in the United
States adoption by the national gov
eminent of a scientific plan for dis
posing Of farm products according
to David Lubin, the American rep
stitute of Agriculture here and him
self 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. 1.-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 Of farm products. This
is shown by the fact that soon nearly
SO per cent Of the farms of our
country will be mortgaged or merely
occupied on lease by the soils cult
vators.
Fright here in Rome a long while
ago we had a striking example Of
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 pass
ed then from the hands of the Guilt
vator of the soil to other ownership,
and the small farmers ruin entailed
that Of the nation.
America won't solve it's high cost
of food problem by putting the specu-
1ators in Jail. We must make it i'm
possible for the specu1ator to operate
by strengthening the farmer. The
Germans saw this many years ago,
and they worked out a welfare plan
for the farmer, and thereby for the
nation, which resulted in placing Sc
per cent. Of the farms in the hands
Of the cultivator.
The key to the plan for the Ger
mans, known as the Landwirthschaf-
trait, is that Of keeping the farmer
informed regarding the needs of the
cities, Of the market, so that his dis
tributfon system is good, so that he
knows what his products are worth,
so that he knows how to SELL and so
that he knows how to plant his crops.
''All of Germany is divided by
province is kept informed Of the 9TH
er's doings through a central office.
Suppose there were too many pota-
toes in the province of A, with the
result. that prices were low, the farm
ers in this province would make in
quiries of the farmers organization in
a neighboring province, say Of B, how
its supply stood, and SO on through
several provinces until the whole po-
tato proposition was gone over, and
the potatoes shipped to the point
where the supply was least. In the
United States, at present, given the
Af Of q
growers there merely continue to sell
their potatoes to the big city buyers
at whatever prices they choose to of
fer. the farmers in Kentucky, say, be-
ing unaware Of conditions in Ohio, or
at least inexactly Informed.
1.-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 rec
ognized by the government. All legis-
1ation affecting agriculture must by
law first be submitted to a standing
central" committee Of the farmers.
The organization is entirely indepen-
dent, of the Department Of Agricu1-
ture,as it should be, since no such
department can ever Cooperate di-
rect1y on matters affecting prices and
business.
Congress has already passed. he
Rural Credits Act, and this winter
Congress will also be 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 prod
ucts by the adoption of the other and
complimentary act. Byt this creation
of an official farmers, organization
the farmer will be turned into an eff
cient merchant, and the people Tin
California will, say, should they be
lacking in food plentiful in New
York state, be able to buy that food
at prices helpful to the New York
&C., II;