El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-04-18
SAYS FARMERS
COSTS TOO HIGH
Ell Paso Man Suggests Gov
eminent Regulations on
Seeds and Implements.

1T Is good advice the government IS
giving US" said c. II. Finley, Wednes-
day. when II urges US TO plant food
stuffs on every available foot OF land.
But why doesn't the government lend
helping hand by seeing to it that the
farmer gets seed at a reasonable coste
The farmers are discouraged be-
cause they claim they are being held
up by dealers who are charging prohi-
oitive prices for seed and implements.
y farmer down the valley told me the
other day he could send TO Dallas for
a cultivator. pay the freight ON IL and
save several dollars on the price
charge in FL Paso for the same imple-
ment; and, as 1 have been buying seed,
I know costs are too high for the poor
Mexican farmers Of the valley to be
able to do much planting.
should Be Surplus Stocks.
We are not shipping seed to Europe
and the supply IS always III excess OF
the demand. American farm implement
manufacturers have always sold their
products cheaper in Europe than in the
United States and explained that they
mad 10 produce surplus in order TO
keep their factories going and that II
was the surplus they sold in Russia
and other European countries.
Well. they are not selling any farm
implements in Europe this year and
they should be patriotic enough 10 sell
us the surplus at their European prices.
II the government wants a big crop Of
foodstuffs let it get into the game and
protect the farmer from the seed and
implement sharks"
Manufacturers Make Prices.
The advances In prices made by
manufacturers of farm implements
during the past year are responsible
for the prices FL Paso dealers have 20
set from farmers for these articles"
said H L. Birney, of the Myers COM
pany, Wednesday All farming i'm
plements and tools in which iron and
steel arc principally used are oue-third
higher in price at the factories than
they were a year ago Wagons and
other things principally made Of wood
are Is percent higher Fl PasO prices
to the consumer are the same as those
at Dallas. plus the difference in freight
rates. which difference is comparative
y unimportant- If dealers here had
not bought heavily last fall they could
not have been able to meet prices in
other implement centers. FL Paso dis
tributors. haven't the nerve. in view
OF conditions TO charge what they are
really entitled to as profit. They are
making no more profit on implements
than the Dallas dealers are. There
may have been a few cases where local
farmers have secured through dealer
friends near eastern centers, imple-
ments and tools at wholesale and laid
them down here for a little less than
local dealers would get"
Even II il is true that grain seeds
are higher this spring than in 1916,
the excess cost per acre to the farmer
viii not exceed from 20 TO SO cents.
said VIII Wise Of W d. Wise * Co,
Wednesday. Grain seeds are higher
because OF the great demand and the
20 percent crop OF sorghums, especially
last year. This year it is not so much
a question of price as that of supply
that faces the planter. Retailers If 81
PasO are making less profit than ever
before in distributing seeds. because
of the conditions in the north. the
OF seeds Reports tell as
that northern farmers are boarding
corn and other grains at home, while
the elevators OF the middlemen are
empty On nonsacchaFiue sorghums
the seed price is twice as high as IT
was in 1916, delivered in FL Paso. and
the same condition prevails on cane
and other sweets Amber cane in 1916
sold for $3.50 q hundred. but this sea
son brings Sc. Corn is about the same
as last year Beans are high because
OF the lack of supply"