The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-22
SAYS
FIXED PRICE
NECESSARY
Campbell Talks on Necessi-
ty for Guarantee.

II seems that in the era Of low prices
that has recently passed. the people
tai fact; the fact that they exist for
the service Of the farmer, and not the
farmer for their service. They have
been cheaply fed for so long that many
Of them have come to feel that 1t Is
the farmers duty to continue to do so.
Now they have reached a point where
they find II necessary to do a little
producing for themselves or else do
without. e"
The fact Is, the nigh prices Of today
are simply balancing up for the low
prices Of 1896 and succeeding years.
when the farmers of Iowa had to sell
oats for II cents per bushel and corn
for IS to 20 cents. Your county agent
is one Of four who labored all year
on 100 acres OF corn for a net loss Of
5000 when rental and labor was con-
sidered. This was in Iowa in 1885,
Potatoes were quoted at Is cents per
bushel. Corn was cheaper than coal
and some farmers used it for fuel.
One Of the best analyses OF the food
situation that has as yet appeared Is
the one in the April IA issue of the Sat-
urday Evening Post. It Is entitled,
The Case Against the Farmer" This
presentation shows that the reasons
that have led up to the present short
age (aside from the war which SIM
1N1 hoo al M xoh 1>N
mainly shortage Of labor and uncer.
tainty Of price. The drift Of labor
away from the farm, encouraged nv
regular hours of labor. and cheap food.
| was for some time offset by increased
| use OF machinery, but that has about
| reached Its limit. and the farmers
production must be correspon dinghy
limited. He says. ''sNhen the manu.
facturer is unable to get labor. he
closes his shop. When the farmer is
unable to get labor, he reduces his
business. He will produce a living
but his surplus to feed the nonprodu-
GERS Of the cities will be less This is
the population of the United States
is increasing at the rate of 4,466 per
| day according to the census.
| So much for the production of grain
| crops. AS for livestock. he shows how
the fluctuation Of day in that mar
ket may wipe out the profit the farm
er has labored for two years to get.
Naturally the farmer will cut down
his production of this crop to only 50
much as he needs to utilize such
rough cheap land and cheap feed as
he may have. The farmer plays safe.
as any business man should. and the
| consumer suffers. He predicts that
the time will come when farm prod
! ucts will be contracted for at a fixed
minimum price. with a differential add
ed according to season. This he says
I will have to come on the initiative of
the consumer. and not the farmer The
consumer is the one who suffers most
| from the present conditions.
II 1t Is really desired to greatly in
crease the food production for the
present year, the fixing Of a minimum
price for staples such as wheat, corn.
cattle. etc, will do more than any
other factor to double the probable
crop. Then only can the farmer be
Justified in taking a chance with high
priced. floating. unreliable labor, and
the added production expenses entailsd
Then can he afford regular hours Of
labor and better working conditions.
/ At present his mind Is filled with pic
lures Of the past, when bumper crops
have been produced at a smaller ne.
profit. or even at a loss. as compa red
| with average, or short crops. Why
should he do thing that no business
man would do? Flood the market ami
take less for his product?
| j. X, CAMPBELL,