The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-01-11
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
We ARE LoNo ON PRODUCTION,
ABORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
By Peter Rsdferd
iActurer National Fsrmsrs' Unioa-

The economic distribution OF farm
products ,s today the worlds greatest
problem and the war, while Il has
brought Its hardships. has clearly ON.
phasized the Importance OF distrfbu-
ton az a factor In American agricul-
ture and promises to give the farm.
ers the cooperation Of the govern
ment and the business men the
solution OF their marketing problem.
This result will. In a measure. COM
p~ensate us for our war losses. fer the
business interests and government
have beer In the main assisting n
most exclusively on the production
side OF agriculture. While the depart
ment OF agriculture has been dumping
tons OF literature on the farmer telling
him how to produce. the farmer has
been dumping toni Of products In the
nations garbage can for want Of .
market.
The World VIII NsvsS StsrvA
At no time since Adam and Eve
were driven from the Garden Of den
have the inhabitants OF this world
suffered from lack Of production. but
some people have zone hungry from
the day Of creation to this good hour
for the lack Of proper distribution.
Slight variations In production have
forced a change in diet and one local
ity has felt the pinch OF want, while
another surfeited. but the world as .
whole has ever been a land Of plenty.
We now have less than one-tenth OF
the tillable land OF the earth's surface
under cultivation. and We not only
have this surplus area to draw on but
H. Is safe TO estimate that In case OF
dire necessity one-half the earth's
population could AT the present time
knock their living out Of the trees
OF the forest, gather II from Wild
vines and draw It from streams. No
one should become alarmed: the
world will starve.
The con sumner has always feared
that the producer wosld not supply
him and his fright has found express.
sion on the statute books OF our states
and nations and the farmer has been
urged to produce r~ecklessly and with
out reference to a market, and regard.
less Of the demands Of the consumer
Back to the Soil.
The city people, have been urging
each other to move back to the farm.
but very few Of them have moved.
We welcome our city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface con.
sal0a sc 600 1En mn tAnn anIno - tNn.
pble land where they can make q
living by tickling the earth with .
forked stick, out we do not need them
so far as increasing production 10 con-
cerned: we now have all the producers
we can use. The city man has very
erroneou IDEAS OF agricultural condi.
tons. The commonly accepted theory
that We are short on production 10 al
wrong. Our annual increase In pro
duction far exceeds that OF our In.
crease In population.
The World 40 a Farm.
Taking the world as n big farm.
we find two billion acres OF land In
approximately $50. 900 900 acres on the
western and 1850. 0O0. 900 acres on the
eastern hemisphere, In cultivation.
This estimate, Of course. does not In
clude grazing lands. forestI. etc.
where large quantities Of meat are
produced.
The worlds annual crop approx.
mates fifteen billion bushels Of Co
reals. thirteen billion pounds Of fbre
and sixty.fve million tons Of meat,
The average annual world crop for
the past Ave years. compared with the
previous Ave years. Is as follows:
Past Half Previous Half
Crops Decade. Decade.
Corn (Bu) SASKATOON 3.A03 .655. 900
Wheat (Bu.) $500. 7s9, 900 3.257, $4,000
Oats (Bu.) 4.120,0 I 900 3.50s ,3l5. 900
Cotton tBales) 1888, 800 1884. 200
The world shows an average In.
crease In cereal production Of IS per
cent during the past decade. compared
with the previous Ave years. while the
worlds population shows an increase
Of only three per cent.
The gain In production far exceeds
that OF our increase In population. and
Il 10 safe TO estimate that the farmer
a easily increase production 25 per
cent n a remunerative market can be
found for the products. In textile
fbres the world shows an increase
during the past half decade In produc.
uon OF Is per cent against . popula.
ton increase of three per cent.
The people OF this nation should
address themselves TO the subject Of
improved facilities for distribution.
Overproduction and crop mortgage