The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-04
STATES SHOULD
 SUSTAIN SELVES SAYS MY. BANKER

tary of Agriculture Houston. urges the national government to see to it that each state raises as nearly as possible its own food supply in order to relieve the already overtaxed trans portation system of the United States, and at the same time, insure a large supply Of food to be exported to our allies. MT. " oakurn in the letter which he made public yesterday says he sees in this program a need for the Eastern states to increase their 1917 food production. He advises 1 that the government see that farm workers are paid as high wages as are paid to munition workers, food being as important in the conduct of s-.e war as bullets. A third recom- ,~>ndation is that farmers be guar S1iteed a minimum price for staple crops. In general he asks that action by the government by more toward production rather than being confined to regulation.
 eff a citizen fails to do his part in his countrys defense when needed, he is a slacker," said MT. Yoakum. "If a state fails through neglect to produce it's pro rata of food, in war times, it is a stacker state. I have oontended that it is the duty of the different states to produce as far as possible sufficient food to take care of their own requirements. The food supply has become such a serious na- tional defense measure that the bur den of furnishing 1t should be equally distributed"
 MT. Yoaakum then gave statistics showing that the per capita farm production of Iowa. with population of 2,224.771,- $141.44 a year; of New York, with a population of g. 113.614, $22.95, and of Massachusetts, with a population of 3,366,416, only $s.49. The statistics showed in gen. eral that the per capital food produc- ton of the Eastern states was very low MT. Yoakum then quoted Leon ard G. Robertson, president of the Federal Bank of Springfield, Mass, as saying: '"The New England states are importing practically 75 per cent of all the agricultural products which they consume. They have the land, but the laborers are few"
 Eastern farmers are robbed of farm labor by the high wages paid by manufacturers" continued Mr. 2 Yoakum. "The farmers must be put in a position to pay the same wages to the man who follows the blow making bread as is paid the man who works in the factory making bullets.
 with New England farms idle, their labor and capital engaged in profitable manufacturing. drawing on the Southern, Middle, and Western states for 75 per cent. of their food supply, what will be the attitude of the government on distribution? will the surplus produced by the other states be sent to states which have land, money, and labor to produce their food requirements, if they will push their farm production with the same energy and activity as they do their manufacturing or will the gov ernment under it's proposed plan of distribution direct the surplus food of the Southern, Middle, and Western states shipped to the nations that are fighting death struggle under starvs ing conditions to save the war which we are now in?
 For instance, a train load of onions shipped from Brownsville, Texas. to Port1ands Me. traverses ap- proxfmate1y as far as if shipped to Liverpool. England. Under the crit Zeal circumstances. who win get the onions, ff1e soldiers fn the trenches or sfhs states which fail to produce their pro rata of foodstuffs? The allied armies are fighting the greatest bat tie of the world, and as we are now lined up with them and are beneficiar- s3es, it is our solemn duty to see that their soldiers are well fed. It is, therefore. incumbent upon the East era states to buckle down and cuItf- vate their idle lands under a broad. comprehensive national plan, guar anteeing ths farmers fixed prices for three years. The government under contract Days the ammunition mak- CTS prices for ammunftson that enable them tp pay wages SC attractive that farmers and farm labor quit the farms and go to the factories. The farmers shou1d De guaxantsed a1so prices for their products that will justify them fin paying wages to comDets with the factories for labor,
 If action is taken promptly there need be no fear; if dslayed and de- bated to death. the results to this and the allied countries will be disas- frous, There Is yet lime to save the situation, supplying the Americans with all they require and furnishing the allied countries with plenty to prosecute the war to a finish"
 CoNsCRRTIoN IN CANADA